Longer Days
by EricaX
Summary: Re-write of "Longer Days Pass" Set in an AU, where the dynamics of "Omega-verse" are involved. Several years have gone by and Darkwing Duck is still fighting against crime, but now with the help of Quiverwing Quack. Everything seems to be going smoothly until suddenly his whole world is unraveling and something far darker seems to be triggering it all. Darkwing Duck/Launchpad.
1. Chapter 1

**Longer Days  
**

 **Summary:** Set in an AU, where the dynamics of "Omegaverse" are involved. Several years have gone by and Darkwing Duck is still fighting against crime, but now with the help of Quiverwing Quack. Everything seems to be going smoothly until suddenly his whole world is unraveling and something far darker seems to be triggering it all. Darkwing Duck/Launchpad.

 **Author's Note:** So, here we go, years later, I'm finally returning to this fic. This was originally a story that I wrote to be dedicated to Kaboot, for she wanted an LP/DW pairing. Well, this story fizzled out and never got finished and it always bothered me that it never got finished, so now that I'm back into the fanfiction game, I thought I'd give this a nice re-vamp and re-write and try again.

This time, the biggest change would have to be that this story is now set in the "omegaverse", which, for those of you who do not know, is a universe where everyone has a secondary gender: either Alpha, Beta, or Omega. For further details about the logistics of the universe, you can either look it up or PM me and I can further explain. Not too much will be discussed right off the bat in chapter 1, so you'll be fine.

This fic still takes place a few years after the show, so there's a good chance all the same people will be in it, just a bit older! Enjoy!

 **Chapter 1**

The small family that lived at 357 Avian Way was strange at best, or at least would be to the outside world. In a world where a person's gender was not simply decided on whether they were male or female, this family of three was an oddity. Everyone was determined their second gender by either being an alpha, beta, or an omega, which was usually discovered around the age of puberty. There was one of each in this small family.

Drake Mallard, secretly known as the masked vigilante, Darkwing Duck, was loathed to admit that he was an omega. The sex that gained the least amount of freedom by the government in their world, simply because they were the most rare and the most fertile; especially male omegas. Though very few people knew his true sex, for he would never have been able to become a fighter against evil if he went around as an omega. In fact, he would have been taken in by numerous different organizations funded by the government to help him find a mate, settle down, and have children. For omegas didn't get the option of being anything other than mothers and mates with many offspring. It was very uncommon for omegas to even have jobs.

No. To the world, Darkwing Duck was an alpha, who had the ability to be whomever he wanted to be and without needing to be tied down to anyone. With the help of heat suppressants and alpha scented colognes, no one was the wiser when it came to Darkwing Duck. Besides, no one who jumped into danger and fought insane super powered villains would ever be an omega. Omegas were gentle and soft spoken and genuinely wanted to be coddled and raise a family.

Not Drake Mallard.

Then there was the other oddity that was Drake Mallard. Not only did he not want to bear any children, he went as far as to adopt. Usually the only ones who adopted were betas, who tended to have least amount of luck with pregnancies or older omegas or same sex couples who had trouble concieving.

Gosalyn Mallard was a fourteen year old female alpha, who, in Drake's opinion, was more than enough to handle. She was so high spirited and high maintence, he figured he might as well have three children of his own with her around. And that's what he loved about her so much. Drake admired her fiery personality and bravery.

The last resident in the house was Launchpad McQuack; a beta with a heart of gold. Being a beta gave Launchpad the ability not care as much about his secondary sex, for betas were seen as the lowest ranking of the three sexes; or often referred to as the neutral sex. Like alphas, betas could be whomever they wanted to be, with even less pressure, since they were not required to find a mate nearly as much as omegas or alphas were.

As a general rule, alphas were encouraged to mate with omegas and vice versa. However, since omegas, both male and female, were so rare, alphas and betas often mated with each other.

Drake had never thought he'd find himself a mate growing up. For a while, he had flat out refused to for he was unwilling to settle down with the anyone and be forced to have kids. He always believed he should love who he wanted to love and be whoever he wanted to be. Not have a bunch of kids just for the sake of being an omega.

It had happened slowly, starting the first night Darkwing Duck had crashed through the roof of Launchpad's plane hangar. Darkwing would never admit it out loud, but the first time he'd laid eyes of Launchpad, he'd known something was special about him. Though at the time, he figured that feeling was because the pilot was happily flying backwards as he chattered away instead of forwards and clearly didn't know what was up and down.

But over the years, their mutual attraction grew to the point where it couldn't be ignored. The hero and sidekick already lived under the same roof with a rambunctious girl they both saw as their own. They figured they might as well make it official.

Laughter filled the room as all three occupants of the room watched the television. Two of the occupants were not nearly as jubilant and excited as the third occupant was, seeing as how they were not jumping up and down on the coffee table that sat in front of the couch.

Gosalyn watched with pride and arrogance as the news caster spoke of how Quiverwing Quack, her alter superhero ego, had stopped the bank robbers from stealing all the money from the St. Canard bank.

"Keen gear! That sure is a great shot of me they got! Look! I'm standing on top of the robbers!" she was saying, bursting with self pride.

Drake looked up at her, his arms crossed as he slouched on the couch. He should have been used to this by now, seeing as how its been a year or two since she first started fighting crimes mainly by herself. It was hard, not only because of the fame she was now hogging that he had always desperately craved, but because he worried so much about her.

Gosalyn shouted her delight once more, bouncing up and down on the poor coffee table in front of the couch.

"Gosalyn..." sighed Drake. "Get down from the table before you break your neck!"

Gosalyn turned around and snickered at her father. She no longer wore her infamous purple jersey which had long ago been replaced with another blue jersey from another sports team. "Yeah, dad, like being on this table is what is going to kill me. After all the times I've jumped off rooftops and such, this'll kill me!" She turned back to the television.

Drake's rolled his eyes before turning and hiding his beak and face into the large arm of Launchpad, who sat beside him, who's eyes were on the TV. Drake re-emerged a few moments later, to watch an animated Gosalyn press on with her excitement. He continued to rest the side of his head on his boyfriend's arm.

Launchpad looked down at his closest friend and smiled. "Cheer up, DW, at least she's doing well" he said softly, trying to be supportive.

Drake nodded, a faint smile on his beak. "Yep, yep, yep. I wouldn't expect anything less of you, Gos."

Gosalyn smirked at his praise before turning back to the television.

The news caster finally began a new topic, much to Drake's utter relief, and Gosalyn finally came back down to the floor. She turned to the two ducks sitting on the couch as a Hamburger Hippo commercial came on. "They just keep gettin' better, don't they Launchpad?"

The pilot smiled at her, eyeing the commercial. "You got that right! And I wanna know, who IS the guy under the Hamburger Hippo suit?" Drake slowly looked up at his lover, a confused look on his face. Gosalyn was giving him the same expression.

Drake shook his head and was about to get up when the phone rang. "If that's Binkie Muddlefoot again, I'm not here!" called out Drake as Gosalyn ran to get the phone. Launchpad gave him several pats on the back as Drake scooted to the edge of the couch. Their eratic and hair-brained neighbor was constantly on Drake's case about 'not being a proper omega' and if he had to sit and listen through another one of her lectures, he was going to tear his feathers out. As Drake Mallard, a handful of people knew he was an omega; which included the Muddlefoots.

A moment later Gosalyn brought the phone over to her dad, who looked up at her cautiously before taking the phone from her.

He pressed the earpiece up to his ear. "Hello, Drake speaking." He immediately smiled and tapped his webbed foot down on the floor in a shy manner. "Hi, Morgana…." There was a pause as Morgana clearly replied back. Then, "How are things holding up then?"

Launchpad was suddenly up and standing beside Drake, his arm around the shorter duck's shoulders. Drake however took no notice of this, for he was too busy talking on the phone.

He chuckled nervously, pulling at the collar of his shirt. "Ignore them, Morg. They don't know what they're talking about."

Both of the other occupants could hear shouting at the other end, making Drake wince and frown sadly. This earned confused looks from Gosalyn and Launchpad. Drake raised a finger for them to wait a moment before he explained.

"Look, Morg, you've been strong through all of this so far...It's going to be okay" said Drake in a comforting voice. The other two occupants of the room suddenly seemed to be aware of what he was talking about as they lowered their heads in sympathy.

Morgana McCawber, Drake's ex-girlfriend and praised sorceress of the McCawber family, was an omega like Drake. Because of this, her family was very protective of her. She would have been overly protected regardless, since she was the youngest of the family, but being an omega made it doubly so. All her life, Morgana had fought for her freedom, not wishing to live behind closed doors and locked away simply for being who she was.

Morgana's family, for the past several years, had been getting more and more strict with her, to the point where her and Drake had been forced to break up. For a good portion of their relationship, Morgana had believed Drake to be the alpha his alter ego, Darkwing Duck, appeared to be. Yet despite being an alpha, the McCawber family still refused to like Darkwing enough to approve of their relationship. He was a 'Normal', afterall. As things progressed and slowly got worse, Drake was forced to tell Morgana the truth and say that he was actually an omega, which didn't help their case at all. It was strictly unheard of for two omegas to mate; not with all the abundant amount of alphas in the world.

Though they had managed to stay friends and remain close to each other, the lie Darkwing had used about his secondary gender had made things ever so strained in the dating department. Drake was constantly trying to make it up to her by helping Morgana fight for her rights.

"Sorry, I did promise you that, Morg. But you understand why I lied to you back then, right? You of all people should understand, especially now. But it doesn't matter, we'll get through this. Your family just needs to understand you are your own person" Drake was saying to her.

Launchpad held him closer, lowering his head. The larger duck, despite having gotten Morgana's blessing to date her ex, still felt bad about the whole thing. It hadn't been too long after they had broken up that things had started between him and Drake.

"You know you're always more than welcome to stay with us, Morg" offered Drake. "We have a spare-" He paused before suddenly yelling, "Is that your Aunt Nasty I hear yelling in the background!?" He obviously got an affirmative answer for Drake rolled his eyes. "She should NOT be saying such things, especially to her own neice!"

Drake pushed Launchpad's arm aside, opting to pace around the living room.

Gosalyn shook her head and crossed her arms, turning to Launchpad. "I'm sure glad I'm not an omega!" she commented. "They make such a big deal about it! All these rules and regulations. I don't know how they stand it!"

Launchpad shrugged his shoulders. Being a beta, he knew even less about the situation. "They're rare and I guess they feel they need to be protected and guided."

Drake's voice suddenly filled with emotion, giving a little squeak. "Don't say that Morg. I told you not to listen to the things they say. You're so much more than what they think!" There was silence as Drake listened to her reply. "Alright, Morg. I'll talk to you later. You know you can call anytime...Bye..." Drake took the phone from his ear and looked at it, crestfallen. He then took the phone and threw it against the wall. It crashed with a loud bang. Launchpad was surprised it didn't break.

Drake turned to his friends, who he knew were waiting for an explaination to his anger. "I've never liked her family!"

Gosalyn stepped forward with a frown. There was once a time when she had adored Morgana's family, for the simple fact that they were monsters. Yet now that she knew how Morgana's family treated her as a misguided omega with no real say, she couldn't stand them either. "What are they saying now?" she demanded.

Drake groaned, putting his head in his hands as Launchpad sat back down on the couch. "I don't even have the strength to repeat any of it. Basically the same stuff they always say. That she needs to settle down with an alpha and if she doesn't, she's not allowed to perform magic until she does..."

Launchpad raised an eyebrow. "Can they do that?"

Drake shrugged. "Even if they can't, they shouldn't threaten her like that."

Drake had, by this point, calmed down slightly as he scratched the back of his neck. He took in a deep breath. "Anyways, good job, today, kiddo. I'm proud" he gestured to the TV with his hand, lazily. He was trying to change the subject. He walked passed her, patting her on the back.

Gosalyn beamed. It made her feel proud to know she was making her father happy. Ever since she had met Darkwing Duck, she knew she wanted to be just like him. Every little bit of praise from her dad was comforting and she treasured it.

"Alright, who's hungry?" called out Launchpad as he slapped his hands down on his lap before standing up. "I'll cook us something nice before we go to bed, eh?"

Gosalyn nodded. "Yeah, I'll have a bite to eat. How about you dad?" she glanced over at her dad, who had started going up the stairs.

Drake stopped walking and looked down at her. He shurgged. "Sure, I could go for some food." There was a sudden, sharp pain in his chest that made him nearly stumble down the few steps he'd climbed up. He pressed his right hand against the sore spot, gasping very quietly.

"Dad?" asked Gosalyn as she made her way over to him.

"DW?" came the concerned voice of Launchpad, who had poked his head out of the kitchen. Launchpad pushed past Gosalyn and placed his arms around Drake as though he was giving him a side hug, but Drake gently pushed him off.

"I'm fine" he insisted. He rubbed a bit more at the sore spot as the pain vanished. Launchpad patted him on the back.

"Must be old age" giggled Gosalyn teasingly.

Drake rolled his eyes at her. "Or perhaps too many years dealing with you" he snapped back.

Gosalyn's grin only widened before heading into the kitchen, leaving the other two alone.

"DW…?" spoke Launchpad quietly after she left. Drake turned towards the living room, slowly walking to the kitchen.

"I'm alright, LP" he spoke after a few minutes of silence. He gave a wan smile up to Launchpad in an attempt to reassure the other. He leaned up against Launchpad's arm before ushering towards the kitchen. "Come on...Go make us some food."

Launchpad smiled. "You don't need to tell me twice, DW! I'm starvin'!" he laughed.

Drake smiled. "You're always hungry" he pointed out with a shake of his head.

Launchpad couldn't deny that one. "Pretty much."

Gosalyn was waiting in the kitchen for them and she properly chastised them for taking so long. It seemed the young alpha was just as hungry as Launchpad was.

"Alright, ya lovebirds! Cut it out! Some of us are hungry!" she bellowed at them.

Launchpad went to the fridge and pulled out some hamburgers and within fifteen minutes, the meat was being fried and Drake and Gosalyn were pulling out plates and napkins, along with every condiment they owned.

Drake was setting the table when Gosalyn asked, "So, why doesn't Morgana just settle down with someone?"

Drake shook his head. "You don't get it, Gos and thankfully you'll never have to understand. I thank my lucky stars you're not an omega. Omegas don't have the luxury of being whoever they want to be. Society thinks and upholds that all omegas are to be controlled. They are to stay at home and once they find a mate, live under the rules of their mate and have children. Thierjob is to have kids. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Morgana, like me, doesn't want that. She and I both want our freedom. Why do you think I pretend to be an alpha whenever I'm Darkwing Duck?"

"Because no one would ever take you seriously as an omega?" guessed Gosalyn as she sat down at the table.

Drake half shrugged, half nodded. "That's the gist of it. But not only that, if anyone were to find out, I'd be a goner. I would be in so much trouble."

"Eh, you're kinda already in a lot of trouble, DW. I mean, its kinda against the law to be a masked vigilante, no matter what sex you are" Launchpad pointed out as he flipped the hamburgers.

Drake rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine! I would be in MORE trouble, because I'm actually an omega! So, I wear cologne, I take suppressants; I do everything I can to make sure no one ever finds out. Save for you guys. It's a bit more difficult to hide from the people I'm living with..."

Launchpad laughed as he started placing the cooked hamburgers on the buns for everyone. "Boy, is that an understatement! I'll still never forgot how I found you were actually an omega."

"Yeah, let's NOT talk about it" grumbled Drake.

Gosalyn blinked and looked between the two of them, realizing she didn't know the story herself. "Wait a minute! I know how 'I' found out, but I never did find out how Launchpad learned about it!"

Launchpad opened his mouth, clearly not minding to share the story, but Drake beat it to him.

"And its going to stay that way!" he said snappily.

Gosalyn pouted for a moment before smirking. She may not find out now, but she was currently making it her goal to eventually find out. She loved the idea that her father and Launchpad were dating. Though she had loved Morgana to pieces, she loved the idea even more that Launchpad, a friend who was practically a second father to her, was dating her adoptive father. For the first time in years she finally felt like she had a full fledged family. Two parent figures to live with under the same roof. The last time she had had anything remotely close to this large of a family was when she was much smaller and it seemed as time went on, her memories of that time and place become more and more fuzzy and blurry.

Gosalyn watched the two of them interact with a big grin on her beak. It had taken a while, but it seemed everything was falling into place for her and her dad.

Coming back to reality, Gosalyn decided to mention how she had learned the great Darkwing Duck was an omega. It had been about a week after Drake had adopted her.

"I remember when I found out what you really were" interjected Gosalyn into the silence.

Drake turned to her, a fond expression on his face as he recalled the memory.

Gosalyn went on with the story. "It had been about a week after you adopted me. I was having trouble sleeping...I couldn't stop dreaming about that awful Taurus Bulba and how I'd thought you'd died and how I'd lost my grandpa...I had gone into your room...You were just snoring away..."

"I don't snore!" groused Drake.

Gosalyn pressed on like he hadn't said anything. "And I climbed into bed with you, hoping to just have some peace of mind. You made me feel better knowing I wasn't alone...And until then, you had always smelled like smoke and startch..."

At Launchpad's confused look, Drake said, "You think I iron my cape a lot now, you should have seen how often I USED to press it!"

Gosalyn continued after taking a bite out of her hamburger. "And you know, the typical scent of an alpha...But when I had climbed into bed with you that night, you didn't smell like that. You smelled more like peaches and spice...and a scent I hadn't smelled since before I lost my mom and dad. And that's when I realized...You smelled like an omega!"

Drake nodded. "Yep...When I adopted you, I had thought about keeping up the charade as an alpha...But...It felt nice not to have to lie...And I figured it would only help my cover. Who would suspect omega Drake Mallard to be the great alpha: Darkwing Duck!" He said this dramatically.

Gosalyn and Launchpad just stared at him, unimpressed.

Drake sighed. "Ugh, well, anyways, it would have been too hard. Its one thing to hide something like that when I'm living by myself; its another thing altogether hiding it from my own daughter...I didn't feel like bothering."

"NOW will you tell me how Launchpad found out!?" demanded Gosalyn.

Drake glared at her from across the table. "No!" he said sternly. He looked up at Launchpad. "And you won't tell her either!"

Launchpad chuckled and nodded before biting into his hamburger.

Drake was about to take another bite when the same sharp pain returned to his chest. He nearly choked on his hamburger at the sudden shock of it. He gave a grunt but managed to cover it from Gosalyn and Launchpad. Once the pain began to fade he choked out, "Went down the wrong pipe."

They nodded understandingly, though Launchpad gave him more of an unconvinced look.

Drake frowned, wondering why he was suddenly feeling sharp pains in his chest. He hoped it wasn't anything too serious.

His thoughts were interrupted when the sound of the news coming on the television in the front room sounded. It was a loud chime that was interrupting the current news report. All three of them exchanged concerned looks; it must be an emergency if the news was interrupting the commercials.

Their food forgotten, all three of them walked into the front living room to watch the television.

The news caster started speaking. "It appears that the notorious duo are at it again. The super villains known as Quackerjack and Megavolt have been hitting every toy store and electronics store throughout the city and it appears they are no where near finished."

The camera on the screen moved to one of the toy stores the two had hit, which was in complete ruins. It zoomed in on a piece of paper tacked to the half broken front door. "The two criminals have been leaving notes with riddles or jokes on them. Could these be clues to where they'll be hitting next? More at 11." The news changed back to a commercial.

Drake gave Launchpad and Gosalyn a side smirk and which they returned. They all knew what this meant.

Author's Note: Well, what did you think? This is a bit of a test. I've never written in Omegaverse before, and recently I've been intruiged by the concept, so I'm giving it the all go. I found this chapter to be a bit fluffy and mushy, but don't worry, it gets much better, I promise! I tried keeping everyone in character and I think I did a decent job. Not sure when, but more is to come! -EricaX


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thunder rumbled off in the distance as the night sky fell and the sun fell back beyond the horizon. The large omnificent buildings of St. Canard loomed over head of the streets below. The wind whipped harder the higher one went up, but this did not stop the caped mallard that was inching his way across the building, sprawled close to the brick so that he didn't fall.

Darkwing Duck only had a small little ledge that he could use to walk on, insisting on going the hardest way possible to get to the toy store that was several floors below them in the next building.

"DW…." came the worried and frantic voice of Launchpad. "Do you really think this is the best way to get to the toy store?"

"Shhh! Element of surprise, LP! Element of surprise!" hissed Darkwing gently, looking to the side of him to see Launchpad doing the same thing he was doing several feet away.

"You know, I could have just flown the Ratcatcher near here and dropped you off on the rooftop-" began the pilot nervously as he eyed the ground far below them.

"They'll be expecting that, LP! I have to do this so that it catches them off guard!' insisted the purple caped duck.

Launchpad couldn't hold back the whimper in his throat. "But you usually surprise them no matter what with you intro" the larger duck pointed out. Darkwing rolled his eyes, knowing he was going to lose this argument. No one understood his process!

Darkwing was soon at the corner of the building and he took out his hook shot and pointed it at the building. "Okay, LP. I want you to take this and hang on. I'll hang onto you after you shoot it. Got it?"

"No problemo, DW!" grinned LP, moving closer to Darkwing. His fear of the height was suddenly not so urgent.

Darkwing shot the gun and made sure it was secure. He then handed the gun over to Launchpad and wrapped his arms around his torso, holding on tight. "Now!" Darkwing cried out.

Launchpad did as he was told and they both went flying to the other building and went flying through a large open window that barely fit both of them at the same time.

They both crashed to the floor side by side. Darkwing groaned, knowing that he should more used to falls like this than he was. Launchpad sat up, rubbing the back of his head and shaking it slightly before cracking his neck. "Whew, falls like those really loosen up your backbone."

"Yeah, and kill it in the process" groaned Darkwing as he stood up and cracked his back by leaning backwards. They both froze when they heard loud, insane giggles coming from the floor below them. They looked at each other, both knowing of only one duck who was capable of such a laugh.

"Quackerjack!" they whispered together.

Darkwing looked about the room, knowing that there had to be some stairs somewhere. The only thing he was able to find was an elevator. Darkwing eyed it and grinned.

The room was dark and dimly lit, however, that didn't keep the one jubilant occupant from dancing around with glee, throwing confetti around the room for no reason at all. The room was filled with electronics and machines, which was right up his playmate's alley.

Megavolt was busy tinkering with one of the larger machines, which looked almost like an ATM. The rodent's plug hat lit up with electricity as he cackled slightly, twisting a knob that was on the machine, opening it up. He was down on his knees, kneeling so that he could get inside the machine.

"Oooooh…..Come here, you beauties…..Oh, solar batteries….Oh, these are so great…" he said adoringly, the inside of the machine making his voice echo slightly.

Quackerjack was too busy whistling an offbeat tune to truly hear what his friend had said, but he knew everything was going according to needed those solar batteries to help with the big project. What was odd, though, was that they still were both unsure what the big project was. Megavolt had just mentioned that they should get solar batteries. The jester figured this was only because they were something Megavolt wanted, for they had been on his half burnt Christmas list that had been found a few days ago.

Eyeing his friend, Quackerjack bounced over to him, grabbing a handful of confetti from his many pockets and threw them over top of the rodent's head.

Megavolt actually flinched when his hand touched one of the fallen pieces of tiny colored paper. "Ack! What is this!?" he demanded, pulling himself out from the machine to sit up on his legs. He looked up at the ceiling. "If this is the new version of a sprinkler system...I approve. It won't short me out! Though I doubt it would do little to put out the fire...Which, I guess is the whole point of a sprinkler system...Either way, I approve!" Without another word, he dove back into the machine and continued working.

Quackerjack laughed hysterically, laughing so hard he had to bend over and slap his knee. "That's not a sprinkler system, Megsy!" This only forced him to laugh harder.

Megavolt paused in his work, yet didn't come back out from the machine. After a long pause he said, "Would you stop talking nonsense out there, Quacky!? I'm trying to work in here!"

Quackerjack calmed himself and brought out his pogo stick, before asking, "Well, are you almost done?"

Megavolt gave a grunt, having had to answer that same question several times now. "This is delicate work, I say. Delicate! You must not rush something of this importance, otherwise you will upset the machines!"

There was a small squeak from Quackerjack, which sounded like "I see" .

Megavolt continued. "And if you upset the machines, then they'll NEVER let me get the solar batteries!"

"The solar batteries are in your hand, Stan" piped up Mr. Banana Brain, who was now sitting on top of Quackerjack's right shoulder as the jester bounced.

Megavolt blinked and looked down at his blue gloved hand. He chuckled. "Oh, what do you know?"

Quackerjack rolled his eyes, now bouncing a little higher.

Suddenly there was beeping sound, which nearly made Quackerjack fall off his pogo stick. Megavolt didn't seem to have heard it, for he was busy muttering to himself about how fusion wires shouldn't be used.

Quackerjack glanced over at the elevator door and saw that the light above it was now on. He blinked. They had made sure everyone was gone. Megavolt pulled himself out of the machine and looked over to the elevator as well.

"I think something is going on with Elavatie" commented Megavolt as though the elevator was a person.

Quackerjack turned to his companion with a raised eyebrow. "Elevatie?"

Megavolt looked back with a deadpan expression, as though it was most simplest of concepts. "The elevator, that's his name." He shook his head.

The doors finally opened and purple smoke emitted from the door as it opened, making it impossible to see who was inside, but neither villain needed to know.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night…" came the familiar voice of St. Canard's do-gooder.

Quackerjack did a face palm. "Oh, boy….Just in time to ruin playtime…"

"I am the cat that claws at your arms…."

"Ouch….I hate cats…" mumbled Megavolt, standing up and walking up next to Quackerjack, holding the solar batteries closely to his chest.

"I am Darkwi-ing Duck!" The smoke finally disappeared and the two villains were finally able to see their adversary, his gas gun at the ready and Launchpad behind him.

"Ooooh, why do you always have to bug us?!" demanded Megavolt in annoyance.

"Because you two insist on committing crimes!" retaliated Darkwing. His eyes went wide when the doors to the elevator suddenly shut on them. There was silence for a moment as Megavolt and Quackerjack stared at what just happened; leaving them both baffled.

The doors opened again with a chime; an annoyed and aggravated Darkwing on the other side. He and Launchpad quickly stepped out from the elevator so that wouldn't happen again.

"As I was saying!" cried out Darkwing, his voice a little more on edge than before. "Suck gas, evil doers!"

Megavolt sighed and Quackerjack shrugged his shoulders. "I'd really prefer not to" Quackerjack spoke and threw his pogo stick at Darkwing, who's eyes went wide as he ducked. The pogo stick crashed into the elevator door behind him with a loud clang.

"Hey! What was that!?" demanded Darkwing, wanting to know why the jester threw his pogo stick. He had never had to dodge one of those before.

"It's a toy. You know, T. O. Y.?!" The jester answered dramatically. "My Darkwing, you're slow!" He darted back over to the large machine that Megavolt was still working with.

"Almost done, Megsy?" questioned Quackerjack, watching the Masked Mallard carefully.

"Almost" grunted Megavolt, his left hand now deep inside the machine as he was reaching for something. "Keep him busy!" the rodent insisted. "I just need a few more of these babies!"

Quackerjack nodded and clapped his hands together, jumping up and down. "Okay, Wingy, you wish to play?" Darkwing braced himself, he knew exactly what was coming up next. Quackerjack giggled insanely, bringing out some of his toy teeth and setting them on the floor. "It's Plaaaaaaaytiiiiiiiiime!"

Just as expected, the four toy teeth that the jester had set lose immediately started coming towards them, chomping down on their teeth.

"N-Now what, DW?" asked a nervous Launchpad as he eyed one of toy teeth that was close to his leg. He tried kicking it, but the toy teeth dodged his foot. That only made the pilot take a few more steps backwards, cornering him to the wall.

Darkwing, having dealt with them before, knew exactly what to do. He reached into his back pocket, knowing he had something he could use. He pulled out a rubber ball. He whistled. "Hey! Lookie here! Look what Darkwing has!"

All four of the toy teeth suddenly looked at the ball, their full attention now on it. They chomped down on their teeth in excitement below Darkwing's hand like puppies excited for a bone to be thrown at them. Darkwing threw it clear on the other side of the large room, where the toy teeth immediately took off after it.

"Traitors!" cried Quackerjack, stomping down on his feet and pulling down dismally on his hat.

Megavolt pulled his hand out from the machine then, calling out, "Okay, we're ready now, Quacky!"

Beaming, Quackerjack glanced behind him and looked at his favorite rodent. Megavolt placed all the solar batteries in a small bag he had slung over his shoulder, making sure to hang onto it tightly.

They were about to head out the window, when Darkwing cried out, "Hold it! You're not getting away that easily!"

Quackerjack stopped, halfway through the window. Megavolt, who was beside him, blinked at him. "Move!" the rodent hissed.

"He's right, Megsy. We can't let him off that easily!" He crawled back out from the window and looked at Darkwing and Launchpad. The jester clown pulled out some silly putty and was about to use it when an arrow shot across Quackerjack's line of sight, almost hitting him. Quackerjack looked over at the far wall, where the arrow was now stuck at. His head then spun around to look and see where the arrow had come from.

"Hold it, right there, evil doers!" cried out a female voice. "I am the nosebleed you get at the fair. I am Quiverwing Quack!"

Everyone looked to see the silhouette of Quiverwing Quack standing in another window.

Darkwing saw her and grinned, unable to hold back the pride he felt rising in his chest. His little girl blue had idolized him so much over the years that she was no her own super hero. He just wished she would stop hogging all his glory. . He knew it wouldn't be long either before the media came rushing over here, catching every little detail while no one even remembers that it was Darkwing who was there first.

"Ooooh, so the little girl wishes to play?" giggled Quackerjack. He looked back at Megavolt. "Megsy, she wants to play…Isn't that fun?"

Megavolt grinned darkly, his eyes on Quiverwing. He raised his free hand and aimed it at her and out came several bolts of electricity. "Eat wattage, Quiverwhack!" shouted Megavolt.

Quiverwing dodged the bolt, getting off the window sill and landing on the floor. She took another one of her arrows and shot it at Quackerjack, who ducked, but his large harlequin hat was caught, making it come off and get stuck to the wall by the arrow.

Quackerjack looked outraged as he looked back at the smaller hero.

"You took off my hat!" he cried out in fury, sounding a bit like a petulant child. His long red bangs were now down in his eyes as the three do-gooders watched in awe. They weren't used to seeing Quackerjack without his hat. It was an interesting sight. But it didn't last long, for the jester took the arrow out of his hat and placed it back on his head; the jingly bells at the ends ringing loudly.

"Certain little girls need to learn some manners…" growled Megavolt, now completely angry. His plug hat shone brightly as blue electricity wrapped around him. Quiverwing kept her ground, and just when she was about to get zapped, Darkwing blocked her, taking the blow.

"Darkwing!" cried Quiverwing in shock as she flinched backwards.

"DW!" cried a frantic, wide eyed Launchpad, who had still been standing in front of the elevator.

Darkwing landed on the ground with a groan. Megavolt blinked, not expecting that. He then shrugged. "Oh well, so long as someone gets hurt…" A hand then yanked him by the shoulder and he turned around, knowing it was only Quackerjack. The two made their escape while the heroes were busy.

Soon it was just the three of them. Launchpad was by Darkwing's side in a heartbeat, helping him sit up. Quiverwing was on the other side of him, checking to make sure he was alright.

Launchpad held Darkwing tenderly as he pulled him up into a sitting position, allowing the other duck to catch himself. Darkwing panted a bit, his feathers singed from the electricity. Darkwing leaned back into the larger duck, who was now sitting on the ground. He placed a small kiss on Darkwing's purple fedora hat as Darkwing blinked, trying to make his body function.

"Uhh, thanks, da-Darkwing..." spoke Quiverwing quietly, almost making the mistake of calling him 'dad'. She sheepishly sat there in front of him, shifting her weight around. Darkwing looked over at her, shivering slightly, but there was a smile on his beak.

"No, problem, kiddo. But let's finish this elsewhere..." he whispered in a raspy voice.

With a cloud of smoke that was set off by Darkwing, the three of them silently took off into the night.

The sounds of metal hitting metal with an audible amount of force was what was ringing through the Audubon Bridge Tower later that night. Inside, where all of Darkwing's equipment for crime fighting was located, not to mention his previous home, was Launchpad, Darkwing, and Quiverwing.

Launchpad was underneath the Ratcatcher, a blanket underneath him so that he didn't have to be on the cement floor. He reached out from outside the Ratcatcher, his hand searching for something.

"Is my wrench out there, DW?" came Launchpad's question after a moment. Darkwing glanced down from where he was resting inside the passenger seat the Ratcatcher, his chin resting on his arms, which were resting on the side of large plane. He quickly spotted the wrench his love was referring to. "Yeah, its just below your hand." He watched as Launchpad found it.

"Thanks DW!" chuckled the pilot. Darkwing shrugged, looking away and staring off. He sighed. Most of his nights were like this. Basically quiet for the most part, save for a crime or two, like he had had earlier.

Quiverwing was on the other side of the room, practicing shooting her arrows. After several hits on the mark, she dropped her bow and turned to the two on the Ratcatcher. "You know, dad, I could have handled myself earlier."

Darkwing gave her a bored expression, exhaustion filling him to the point where he didn't feel like moving much. He knew Gosalyn was speaking about when Megavolt had shot the bolt of electricity at her.

He decided it would be best to humor her. "Yeah. Yeah, I know you could have sweetie, but...You know how I am when it comes to you and crime fighting. It's only natural that I see something hurtling at you, I want to come and rescue you..." He paused and chuckled. "It's kind of what I do..."

Quiverwing couldn't argue with that. "Well...Thanks." She muttered. It was obvious it was hard for her to say those words. Gosalyn, ever so much like Darkwing, had a difficult time fighting against her pride and acknowledging when she needed help.

Darkwing smiled at her and lazily reached over to ruffle her read hair. "Of course, sweetie. I wasn't about to see you hurt. You have to admit though, I have been letting you go off on your own a lot more, despite my deep fatherly, omega instincts NOT to let you do that..."

Quiverwing, seeing an opportunity, smirked and said slyly, "Don't you mean, 'motherly omega'?"

Darkwing rolled his eyes. He hated being referred to that way and she knew it. "Fatherly" he growled back in response.

Gosalyn just smirked, knowing she had hit a nerve.

"Gee, DW" commented Launchpad from below. The sound of a wrench whirling could be heard. The pilot must have been tightening some screws. "You sure need to relax. She's just stating fact."

"Facts that, I can assure you, I am well aware about! However-" He pointed his finger at Gosalyn. "I am NOT your mother, I am your father! So, the term "fatherly" is better suited!"

Quiverwing shrugged as she took off her mask and hat. "Hmm...Well, now that you're dating Launchpad, we can easily change that." Darkwing just narrowed his eyes at her, clearly not amused. "I mean, the world already sees you as Drake Mallard, single omega...Just go down to City Hall, update your records, inform them you're mated to Launchpad and you're all set. You could legally be considered my mom!"

Darkwing just continued to glare at her. "Noo...I adopted you under the pretense that I was your father...It's going to STAY that way. I'm more alpha than omega anyway!"

"Aww, lighten up, dad! You know I'm teasing!" She walked up to where Darkwing was situated in the sidecar to the Ratcatcher and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You know I'd never see you as anything but my ol' grump of a dad!"

Darkwing blushed at this.

"With many feminine qualities...especially in your fashion sense!" added Quiverwing quickly with a laugh.

Darwking grumbled at the added jibe.

That sharp pain the masked mallard had felt in his chest from the night before suddenly came back, making Darkwing's eyes go wide and making him clutch his chest. He sat up more properly in the sidecar, his breathing becoming more irregular as the pain continued.

"Dad? Dad, what's wrong?" exclaimed Quiverwing worriedly as she stepped up to the sidecar.

Launchpad instantly pulled himself out from under the Ratcatcher at Gosalyn's worried tones. He knew if Gosalyn was worried about something, he should be too. "DW?"

Darkwing leaned in towards Launchpad, resting his head on the taller ducks' chest as his fedora hat fell to the floor. "It hurts..." he flat out admitted.

Launchpad inhaled sharply. "W-What hurts, DW? Your chest?" He unconsciously pulled himself closer to Darkwing, rubbing the mallard's back in support. Gosalyn was standing right beside him, equally worried.

Darkwing grunted as the pain began to subside. "I keep getting these sharp pains in my chest. They've only been lasting about a minute or so, but maaaan, do they hurt!"

Launchpad, not knowing what else to do, simply placed a kiss on Darkwing's head.

"Well, let us know if it continues or gets any worse!" instructed Gosalyn. "Cause if its serious, its straight to the hospital with you!"

Darkwing nodded, not having the strength to argue. He knew she was right. "I'm sure I just pulled a muscle or something tonight while crime fighting."

Launchpad pulled back a bit with a shake of his head. "I told you we should have just flown in with the Thunderquack!"

Darkwing looked up at him pointedly. "Yeah, and you probably would have knocked a few walls out in the process with your landing!"

Launchpad gave him a sheepish look, not even bothering to defend himself.

"Let's go home" suggested Gosalyn.

Launchpad didn't waste another second; he scooped Darkwing up off his feet and took him over to one of the blue chairs. He cradled Darkwing close while Gosalyn sat in the other chair. With a press of the statue they were gone as they whirled back to the house on Avian Way.

 **EricaX**


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Just in case anyone is comparing this to the original story, this chapter is both Chapter 3 and 4 combined. I decided to merge these two chapters.

Chapter 3

The next morning was dreadful as consciousness slowly came to Drake. He opened his eyes, not fully sure if he was still asleep or awake. All he did know for sure was that he wanted to still be asleep. With a groan, he pulled at the covers closer to him, trying to bury himself in their warmth. Somewhere in the back of his sleep addled mind, noted that Launchpad was beside him; the other duck's snoring a reliable sign.

Struggling to fall back asleep, Drake glanced about their room. The small single bed he once had had recently been replaced with a queen sized bed so that Launchpad could also sleep there too. The pilot was now sleeping in Drake's room while Launchpad's room was turned into a spare bedroom.

Drake rubbed at the sore spot on his chest as he felt a headache coming on. He pulled the covers even closer and covered his head with them. He really wished he could just sleep forever.

The sun rose quickly in the morning, or so it seemed to those who still wished to sleep. However, it didn't stay out long, for clouds soon covered it, making the early risers to wonder if it was going to rain or not.

Launchpad was the second one down in the kitchen; Gosalyn having beat him. The pilot sleepily rubbed at his eyes as he pulled at the collar of his red pajamas. He blinked at the sight at the strange sight of Gosalyn sitting at the kitchen table. "You're up early."

Gosalyn shrugged as she swung her legs under the table while eating a bowl of Chocolate Crunchies cereal. "Thought it was a school day" she muttered tiredly. Launchpad nodded as he made his way over to the fridge."Where's dad?"

"Still in bed" was the simple reply. He opened up the fridge and got out the milk, intending to pour himself his own bowl of cereal.

Gosalyn watched him as she asked, "Is he feeling any better?"

Launchpad gave out a large sigh as he sat down at the table. "I don't know. He didn't say anything about still being in pain once we got home. So...I guess?" He shrugged and looked away, wishing he had a better answer.

Gosalyn frowned as she finished off her cereal. "Well, just keep an eye on him then, I guess. You know how he gets, LP. He always ignores everything when he's in pain."

Launchpad nodded solemnly, knowing how true that was. The rest of breakfast was spent in silence.

It wasn't long after that did Honker knock on the back door. Gosalyn smiled as she tossed her cereal bowl and spoon into the sink with a loud clatter. Launchpad winced at the sound, knowing Drake wouldn't be happy if anything had gotten broken on his watch.

Gosalyn ran to the back door and opened it, where Honker was shyly waiting of the other side. "Hi, Honk!" she greeted happily.

"H-Hi, Gosalyn" greeted the yellow feathered duck. In the last year or so, the only thing that had changed about him was his height. He was still the same height as Gosalyn, with the same glasses and appearance.

Gosalyn turned to Launchpad who was still sitting at the table. "I'll be outside with Honker!" Without waiting for a reply she was gone, the back door slamming behind her.

Launchpad nodded slowly and took his time eating, laughing to himself as he read a joke from off the cereal box. He then scratched his head and stood up, putting his bowl and spoon away also.

Slowly, he went up the stairs and walked into Drake's room. Well, it was his as well, but the pilot found it hard to call it 'their' room for whatever reason. Drake did all the time, which struck Launchpad as odd. Between the two of them, Drake was the more reserved one while Launchpad was more open and friendly.

Launchpad saw that Drake was still hiding underneath the covers. He went over to the bed and sat down. With gentle hands he slowly lifted up the covers to find that Drake was still fast asleep. He gently shook him on the shoulder, leaning down to kiss Drake on the head. "Come on, DW" he said softly. "Time to get up."

Drake groaned, flinching and trying to hide his face in the pillow beneath him. Launchpad smiled. "Aw, come on, DW! I'll make your favorite breakfast!" he bribed. The larger duck knew he had won for Drake started stretching and yawning, getting up.

Drake whimpered a bit before saying, "Alright, LP, alright. I'm up!" His voice sounded lower simply from being half asleep. He rubbed at his eyes and then looked at Launchpad, who was smiling at him. Launchpad's constant positivity would never cease to amaze him.

"Feeling any better today, DW?" questioned the pilot. Both of them knew what he was referring to. The sharp pain he'd been feeling in his chest.

Drake shrugged as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Isn't hurting now, if that's what you mean." He slid to the edge of the bed and hopped to the floor before stretching once again.

Launchpad was about to hug him when Drake walked towards the door. Launchpad looked crushed, but only for a split second. Drake started pulling their clothes out of drawers and the two silently changed out of the pajamas and into their regular clothes.

"Where is Gosalyn?" yawned Drake as the walked down the steps and headed into the kitchen.

"Honker came over. They're outside hanging out."

Drake nodded. "I'll get some peace then as my brain tries to wake up..." he sighed and drank his coffee the instant he was done pouring it. "And don't bother with breakfast...I'm not hungry." Launchpad frowned at that comment but said nothing.

His peace didn't last for very long, for Gosalyn and Honker walked through the door a good ten minutes later, a soccer ball in Gosalyn's hands.

Gosalyn beamed at her dad, glad to see him up and about. "Hey, dad! How are feeling today?"

"No better than any other morning, Gos. You know I'm not a morning person..." was the grumbled reply.

"Hello, Mr. Mallard, sir" greeted Honker politely.

Drake looked up from his staring at the table and nodded his greeting, taking a sip of his coffee. "Hello, Honker" he spoke quietly.

The young duck continued to stand there, peering as his friend's father as Gosalyn meandered about the kitchen in search of something. He adjusted his glasses and said in his nasally voice, "You don't look very well, sir. Are you feeling alright?"

"I've been better, kiddo. Let's just say that…" admitted Drake.

"He's been having some chest pains" piped up Gosalyn, appearing next to Honker again. She handed her friend a chocolate chip cookie she had clearly swiped from the cookie jar. Drake gave her a knowing look at the sight of the cookies, but she chose to ignore his lecturing look.

"I probably just pulled a muscle or something, guys. I don't think its anything that serious." Drake desperately wanted the subject to be changed.

"Well, it seems to be more than just a pulled muscle, sir..." he looked worriedly at Drake. "You can see it all over your face..."

"What do you mean? I don't see anything on his face but his usual lazy self in the morning!" scoffed Gosalyn.

This earned her a glare from her father. "You really want to talk about who's lazy around here, missy?" he threatened lightly.

Gosalyn made a face and turned away.

Launchpad, still leaning up against the counter of the kitchen, looked between them as they talked, interested. If he was able to figure out what was wrong with Drake, he'd be one happy duck. He wanted to see the smile on Drake's beak that made him so happy."So, what are you saying there, Honk-man?"

Honker opened his mouth to answer when the shrill, high-pitched voice of his mother shot through the air. "Oh, Honker!" she called out in a sing song voice.

All four of them cringed at the voice. Honker glanced at Drake who was steadily growing more miserable by the second. He knew his mother was the last person Mr. Mallard wanted to deal with.

Once Honker reached the door he opened it and Binkie Muddlefoot was beaming happily on the other side. She wore her usual little dress and apron. "Hi, mom! Did I forget something?"

Binkie smiled warmly at her youngest son. "Yes, Honker, dear. You forgot to bring over the homemade brownie bread I made for the Mallards!"

Honker's eyes widened as he realized he had forgotten. "O-Oh, right. Sorry." He could see the container of desert in her hands. He went to take it from her when she moved, pushing the doorway further open. She peered inside and saw Gosalyn, Launchpad, and Drake all in the kitchen.

"Oh! Hello dears! Good morning! How is everyone?" she asked with too much excitement for any of their tastes, especially Drake's.

She received mumbled answers from Launchpad and Gosalyn. Drake didn't even bother to answer, just raised his eyebrow and smiled sardonically. There was not enough caffeine in the world to prepare a person for Binkie Muddlefoot. He continued sipping his coffee.

"Well, I just wanted to drop this off. It's brownie bread!" she giggled happily. She placed it in front of Drake on the table.

Drake stared at it as though it was a foreign concept to him. "What on earth is brownie bread?"

Binkie placed a hand to her chest, her eyes wide in surprise. "You've never heard of brownie bread?"

"No. I've heard of brownies...and I've heard of bread. But I have never heard of 'brownie bread'" he enlightened her.

"It's pretty much the same as brownies, but with the consistency and density more like bread..." piped up Honker to everyone's surprise. It was common to hear him rattle off some scientific fact or mathematical equation, but for the young beta to rattle off details about a dessert was a little less common. Seeing their looks, he quickly added nervously, "And of course, without the icing..."

"Aww, but the icing is the best part!" whined Launchpad from where he was standing in front of the sink.

Drake shook his head, hoping to alleviate the headache he felt coming on, but sadly it only seemed to make it worse. "Well, thanks, Binkie" he said dismissively.

Binkie was far from finished though. "I'm really surprised you've never heard of brownie bread!" she admonished. "Why, all of us in the Omega Neighborly Book Reading Club make it all the time!"

Drake couldn't help but gag at the mention of the club Binkie was constantly trying to get him to join. It was common for omegas to gather in club meetings, not all of them being book reading clubs. But since it was practically impossible for an omega to get a job due to Omega Protection Laws, it was ordinary and normal for them to gather and meet up together in order to socialize with fellow omegas. Omegas were so rare, they tended to stay out of the business world and stayed close to their loved ones for safety.

Drake would never fully understand it and often petitioned against such laws, believing omegas should get to have free will and do as they please. The trouble was, omegas, by nature, wanted to be treated that way. They were usually a lot like Binkie Muddlefoot, only not as annoying. They were stay at home mothers or fathers who took care and raised the family. Omegas were generally content with the lives they were given. It drove Drake nuts.

Snapping back to reality, Drake bit back, "Sorry, guess I missed that memo" he grated through his teeth.

Binkie sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Drake, dear, I really wish you would re-consider joining. I think once you meet some fellow omegas, you'll feel more at home!"

Gosalyn snorted in an attempt to bite back a laugh, picturing her father sitting in someone's living room, drinking tea and talking about books. Drake shot her a glare.

"No thanks, Binkie."

Clearly getting frustrated, Binkie said, "Then at LEAST tell me you've been drinking that tea I gave you! It's supposed to help with your heats."

"If you really must know why I don't drink those teas, its because I'm on surpressants!" he hissed back.

Binkie looked horrified as she placed a hand over her mouth. " Oh, Drake, dear- Those aren't good for you!" She turned to Launchpad, who flinched at the sudden spotlight he was under. "Launchpad, you need to convince him not to take those! They make conceiving so much harder!"

Drake inhaled sharply at the last comment, finally standing up angrily. Gosalyn was still bemusedly watching on the sidelines while Honker looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. He hated talking about such subjects and the young duck was ever so grateful he didn't have to worry about such things since he was a beta.

"BINKIE! Stop telling me what to do with my life!" Drake shouted.

Binkie stared at him as though he had lost his mind. She defended herself by saying, "You'll regret it later if you ever decide to have children of your own! Maybe Launchpad wants his own someday!" She looked imploringly at the pilot who suddenly found the cereal box intriguing as he grabbed it and stared at it intently.

"Don't drag Launchpad into this-"

"But Drake-"

"I've told you COUNTLESS times, I am NOT having any children of my own! Not for myself, not for Launchpad, not for ANYBODY! I have Gosalyn! She is the greatest child a parent could ask for-If not enough to drive said parent to an early grave! But she's MY early grave! She's MY little girl blue! And even though she's technically not my flesh and blood, to ME she is! And that's ALL that matters!" He exhaled harshly, sitting back down hard on the chair.

Binkie looked down, knowing she had stepped over the line. Again.

"Thanks for the brownie bread, Mrs. Muddlefoot" said Gosalyn pleasantly in hopes to break the tension.

Binkie, obviously appreciated the change of subject, nodded and clasped her hands before her. "No problem, dearie. She turned to her son. "Don't forget you have school tomorrow, Honker. So try not to be over here too late."

Honker nodded appreciatively. Without another word, Binkie was gone.

There was a deafening silence in her wake.

With a sigh, Drake said, "I need more coffee..." He stood and went for the coffee maker. He gave Launchpad an affectionate pat on the arm as he stepped his way, which made Launchpad smile. The topic of children had already been discussed between the two of them; since Drake technically could have them if he so wanted to. But from the very start, Drake had made his point clear he didn't want any and Launchpad happily agreed with his terms. He felt the same way Drake did towards Gosalyn; she was like a daughter to the both of them. And Drake hadn't been kidding when he implied how big of a handful the redhead could be.

"You know..." began Gosalyn slyly. "It would be kinda neat to have a little brother or sister" she goaded, her eyes glued on Drake's back as he poured his coffee.

Drake turned around to look at her. "Well, you certainly won't be getting any siblings from me, missy" he said briskly before drinking more coffee. The sharp pain in his chest caused him to gasp and spit the coffee back out; the coffee splattering all over the kitchen floor before him. The coffee cup also slid from his hand, falling to the floor and shattering to pieces. Launchpad jumped back as the hot liquid went flying.

"DW!?" cried Launchpad in alarm, pushing himself off from the counter and putting his hands on Drake's shoulders.

"Dad!?" shrieked Gosalyn worriedly. Side stepping the coffee and broken porcelain, he rushed to her dad's side. She held onto his right arm, though she wasn't sure if she was doing it to reassure her dad or to reassure herself.

Drake coughed, his throat burning since the coffee hadn't gone down right. The pain in his chest made it feel as though someone had taken a dagger and pierced his skin with it. After several moments of grunts and gasps of pain, the shooting throbs faded and he was able to get his bearings again. He took in a deep breath as he was finally able to open his eyes.

Drake's eyes met the concerned emerald green eyes of his daughter. He gave her a thin, unconvincing smile as he ruffled her hair. "I'm fine."

Gosalyn snorted. "Pfft! You are NOT fine! You're just being stubborn again!"

Drake reached around and grabbed Launchpad's sleeve. "Really, everyone. I'm fine. It's a pulled muscle!"

"Pulled muscles don't spasm so erratically like that, sir" Honker pointed out. "If they do, its because you're repeating a similar motion over and over again, causing the tendons and muscle tissue to seize up. You've been making the same movements this whole time, raising your cup and drinking from it, and you haven't had any problems."

Drake frowned, knowing he wouldn't be able to dissuade any of them.

"I have a bad feeling, Mr. Mallard. You really don't look good..." continued Honker.

"Relaaaax" replied Drake, unconsciously playing with Launchpad's sleeve. "If it makes you all feel better, I'll take it easy today, okay?" He looked around expectantly at them and when none of them answered immediately, he nodded and pressed on. "You kids go play outside...and do...whatever it is you do out there...and Launchpad and I will go in and watch some TV."

Honker and Gosalyn exchanged uncertain looks before Gosalyn finally caved. "Fine! But you better relax!" she said sternly to her dad. She pulled Honker along as she guided them out the back door and outside. "Come on, let's go play some soccer…I need to clear my head…" she groaned, heading out the front door, Honker trailing after her and shutting the door gently behind him.

Five minutes later found both Launchpad and Drake laid out on the couch in the front room, neither paying a whole lot of attention to the television. Drake was lying down on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Launchpad was rubbing Drake's feet as the other mallard was sprawled out on the couch with Launchpad at the end. Launchpad could tell that even though the television was on, Drake wasn't focused on it. He was using this time to think.

"You know" coughed Launchpad, clearing his throat as he rubbed at a spot on Drake's left ankle. "The Honk-man does have a point. You don't look all that well, DW. Are you sure you're okay?"

Drake shook his head, which startled Launchpad. He wasn't used to his boyfriend being so straight forward when it comes to his health.

"No….no, I'm not sure, LP. I feel terrible. My chest feels as though it's about to explode, my arms and legs feel numb and heavy. I feel slightly dizzy...and I just feel flat out terrible and I know I look terrible…." He groaned loudly, placing a hand over his eyes.

"You look handsome to me…" tried the pilot weakly. Drake chuckled softly, raising his arm only for it to plop back down again.

"Well, of course, YOU do!"

"Um...About what you said to Binkie back there...I want you to know, I'm still very much okay about...you know, everything..." whispered Launchpad after several silent minutes.

Drake didn't reply right away. "Thank you for that, LP. Not everyone understands that...Even though I'm an omega...I don't WANT to be...I don't want anything to do with being an omega and I know that's near impossible for any other omega to think and feel, but that's how its always been for me!"

Launchpad nodded. "And I understand that. It's all good! I mean, gee, I'm just happy I found someone as amazing as you!" laughed the pilot.

Drake raised his hand from his face and rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to butter me up with compliments."

This made Launchpad quietly groan. "Aww, but I like giving you compliments! You can't tell me they don't help your ego!"

Drake opted for lying, but shrugged at said, "Yeah...Yeah, they do..."

Drake suddenly pushed himself up and crawled over to Launchpad's side of the couch. The pain in his chest flared up again and he tried his hardest to hide it as he crawled his way over to the beta. They sat side by side.

"What a pair we make..." mused Drake. "A hero and a sidekick...Dating...Living under the same roof and trying to raise a hellion for a daughter."

Launchpad burst into a fit of laughter.

Drake started laughing with him until he was brutally reminded of his chest pains. He pulled back and sat deeper into the soft cushions of the couch. He crossed his arms and sighed. "It kills…" he grumbled, mentioning his chest.

All laughter and happiness was gone from Launchpad's features instantly. "Maybe you should go see a doctor" suggested Launchpad. When he didn't receive an immediate answer, Launchpad looked down at him, his eyes widening. Drake sat there, his hand over his chest, panting slightly in pain, his eyes shut tight. Launchpad watched as the color left Drake's feathers, making his heart skip a beat. "Th-that's it, DW! I'm taking you to a doctor so that we can figure out what is wrong with you!"

Drake made a motion as though he was about to protest, opening his beak a bit, but Launchpad cut him off. "Not buts, DW! I'm taking you to see the doctor! Right now!" And with that the pilot took hold of Drake and lifted him up, the mallard unable to say anything against it. The pain in his chest was burning and the rest of his body felt weak.

Drake watched as his vision came in and out of focus, everything beginning to blur together. He felt himself being picked up and it made his stomach begin to churn. Soon it was hard to hear Launchpad talking; it was as though he was under water.

Somehow, through all the pain and confusion, one thought entered his mind and he managed to get his beak to function properly enough to ask, "W-What about Gosalyn? She doesn't know!"

"Don't worry about her! I'll come and get her once you've been taken care of at the hospital!" countered Launchpad, grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch. He carefully wrapped it around Drake's shoulders the best he could while Launchpad held onto his with one arm.

"LP, this is ridiculous! I don't need-" He was about to continue struggling out of Launchpad's arms when he realized just how cold he was. He shivered and backed up into Launchpad's arms again, suddenly relishing in the beta's body heat. No more fighting, he was cold and didn't feel well.

"See?" said Launchpad defensively. "You're shivering. Maybe you have a fever or something!" It was evident in Launchpad's voice that he was quickly starting to panic. Launchpad was never good at situations like these, he always tensed up and confused himself.

Launchpad lifted him up bridal style and started looking for the car keys, which he knew were in the drawer of the little table by the steps.

Drake, his head now throbbing, felt miserable. It was mainly due to the pain, but it didn't help that Launchpad had to carry him like the weakling he currently was, which didn't help his self esteem in the slightest. He didn't mind Launchpad holding him at all; if anything, he loved it. Just not when he was in the weakling state he was in now. " I don't understand! This came on so quickly! I was fine just a few minutes ago!"

Launchpad either didn't hear him or decided not to answer. He was busy trying to find the keys, which he found where he thought they would be. He still didn't say anything as he opened up the door and shut it, locking the door behind him as he still held onto Drake.

"Dad!?" cried the voice of Gosalyn. The two ducks looked up to see Honker and Gosalyn in the front yard playing with a soccer ball. . She dropped the soccer ball and ran up to them. Honker trailed not far behind. "What's wrong with him, LP!?"

"It's getting worse..." croaked Drake.

Gosalyn's eyes went wide, her heart beating faster and faster with anxiety. She watched as Launchpad set him in the passenger side of the car. Drake slapped away Launchpad's hand as the pilot tried to buckle his seat belt for him. "I appreciate this, LP, but I'm not an invalid!" Gosalyn heard him grumble. Typical of Drake to stay stubborn to the bitter end.

Gosalyn was finding it difficult to understand what was happening. Her father couldn't be sick, he just pulled a muscle, right? It wasn't really any more seriously than that, certainly.

Jumping into action, Gosalyn suddenly whizzed around and turned to Honker, her eyes slightly wild. "Honk, I'm going with them! Catch you later!" She started heading towards the car but stopped and turned to say, "Oh, and go and get my soccer ball before it rolls into the street!"

Honker pointed behind her and it was at that moment that Gosalyn heard the sound of the car moving down their small cemented driveway. "Hey! Launchpad! I'm coming with you guys!" she went up towards the car, but to no avail, she saw Launchpad shake his head behind the wheel. He knocked over the garbage cans and winced.

Despite the desperate situation, he still said, "I always manage to do that" with a bit of humor.

Gosalyn's eyes turned to her father who was in the passenger seat, slouched back, and looking dreadful.

"LAUNCHPAD!" yelled Gosalyn angrily for being ignored. She followed the car down to the end of the driveway where Launchpad was temporarily parked due to hitting the trash cans. She turned to her dad. "DAD! You can't leave me behind!"

Drake, despite how awful he was currently feeling, leaned out the car window. "I'll be okay, Gos" he quietly reassured. He then went back to leaning against the car seat.

Gosalyn stomped her foot on the ground as the car started moving again. The car then went down the street without her, leaving her to stare off behind them until she couldn't see the car anymore. She sighed and looked down at the pavement.

Gosalyn then felt Honker nudge her with her soccer ball. "Come on, Gos. I'll made you a banana split…" he said in an attempt to cheer her up.

Pouting and knowing there was nothing else she could do, Gosalyn followed her closest friend inside the house.

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Launchpad McQuack couldn't remember a time when he had been this nervous. Then again, he was positive his mind was just too busy freaking out to remember anything besides what was going on now. If he really thought about it though, the one time Negaduck had corned them on top of the building and was threatening them with his chainsaw had been pretty nerve-wracking. Not to mention that time the jack-in-the-box monster, Paddywhack, had shown up. Oh, he still seized up in fear at the very thought of that.

Alright, so perhaps he's felt this nervous before, hundreds of times given his lifestyle, but this was the first time but this was the first time he's felt this nervous over Drake's health. No. That actually wasn't true either. He was pretty nervous and worried about Drake when he had been hit with that Tron-Splitter of Megavolt's. And then the time when Darkwing had been hit by that speed ray and it made him get really old by aging too quickly. And a dozen other times Darkwing had gotten injured on the job.

Fine. Launchpad had to admit this was far from the first time something has happened to Drake that made him worry, but why did it seem ten times worse this time around?

Launchpad had rushed into the hospital with Drake wrapped up in his arms, much to the shorter mallard's chagrin. " I can WALK, LP!"

The pilot had ignored him and scooped him up bridal style, walking with determination into the hospital. Drake's expression had been was caught between pain, exhaustion, and pure annoyance as he was tucked away with the red blanket.

The lady at the counter had told them to wait once they were inside.. There was no one else in the waiting room, which didn't seem to help Launchpad in the least. Then again, he figured that if the room had been crowded, he wouldn't be able to find any peace and quiet.

Launchpad was sitting at the edge of the semi-comfortable waiting seat, leaning over and his chin on his hands, elbows on his knees. He glanced over at Drake, who was laying down on the pinkish waiting couch beside him.

The poor mallard had fallen unconscious practically the minute Launchpad had set him down on the uncomfortable couch in the waiting room. If he was being honest with himself, Launchpad knew he wanted to hold Drake in his lap and keep him close, but since they were in public, he decided against it. Unlike Launchpad's openness of their relationship, Drake was still more reserved and subtle about their relationship when it came to anyone outside the house; save for the Muddlefoots. But that was usually only because the Muddlefoots had the bad habit of barging on them seemingly every time they had even the slightest of intimate moments. It was far from Drake's and even Launchpad's choice to be so cavalier in their presence.

Launchpad would never forget the night the Muddlefoots found out about him and Drake. He didn't think his stomach would ever be the same after all the cookies and cake Binkie has stuffed down their throats in celebration for their relationship. Of course, Binkie had been downright nauseating as she had gone back home and brought back an enormous amount of magazines and catalogues that ranged from wedding plans to baby showers. Launchpad was pretty sure she had even brought over a pamphlet which included the best ways to get pregant.

That afternoon will forever be ingrained into their brains; the worst part being that neither Binkie nor Herb had been mum to sharing their own experiences in marriage and having kids.

Neither duck had expected that behavior from them, but in retrospect, they honestly should have seen it coming.

Drake mumbled a bit from his spot on the couch, which brought Launchpad out of his thoughts. He desperately wished that one of the doctors would hurry up and become available already. He hated all this waiting. He wanted to know what was wrong with Drake.

It was at that moment that the lady canine at the reception desk clicked her tongue and said, "Mr. Mallard? Dr. Court will see you now" she referred to a door that wasn't far from where she sat to her right.

Launchpad nodded and watched as a middle aged tall rat came through the door with a clipboard. He looked up unexpectedly at the pilot. "Is there a Mr. Drake Mallard here?"

Launchpad was easily intimidated at times and this was definitely no exception. The doctor had on a light blue shirt and navy blue dress pants, but they were covered by a long, pure white doctor's coat. Nestled between the collar of his coat was a red tie. Launchpad raised his hand. "That's me. Well-" he glanced down at Drake. "Him. But, he's sort of…passed out" he fumbled.

Dr. Court nodded, seemingly sympathetic.

"Well, don't worry" he spoke in calm and soothing voice. Clearly he was used to frantic patients and family. "Bring him on in here and I'll help you figure out what's wrong with your friend."

Launchpad wasted no time in gathering Drake into his arms. The other duck was mumbling words incoherently as Launchpad followed Dr. Court through the door.

Just as he had passed the threshold of the door, Drake mumbled one little word that broke his heart. "L-Launchpad…." The pilot forced himself not fall apart as he kept his eyes focused on the doctor's white coat in front of him. He couldn't break down, he had to get Drake in to see the doctor.

Launchpad bit back his emotions as the doctor guided him into a single room where a patient's bed was waiting for him. "You're lucky we aren't very busy today. " commented the doctor. "Normally our ER is filled with patients. There is very little I've seen. People come in here with water poisoning, severe burns caused by flaming teddy bears, intense shocks just from turning on their televisions...You just never know what to expect in St. Canard..."

Launchpad nodded. "I hear ya!" His eyes never left Drake as he said this, laying him down on the bed and taking off the red blanket. Being the bundle of nerves he currently was, Launchpad just wrapped the blanket up into a ball and held onto it, fiddling anxiously.

Dr. Court was busy writing things quickly down on his clipboard. "Now, what seems to be the problem here?"

Launchpad shook his head in hopes to clear it, trying to focus on answering the question. He sat down in the little chair next to the bed, finally pulling his gaze away from Drake. "Well, gee, um…Well, since last night he's been complaining about chest pains. Particularly over on his left breast." He reached over and pointed out the place where it hurt on Drake's chest. "Or at least, that's where he'd rub at when he complained. Then, well, it happened so fast. We were sitting on the couch and he said it hurt again and I looked over and he was panting real heavily and I watched as he got all pale. I sort of freaked out, not knowing what was going on and worried, so I brought him here. He fell unconscious out in the lobby."

The doctor took all this in as he was standing on the other side of the bed. He had begun checking Drake's pulse, temperature and looking at his chest, moving aside his feathers. "I see. Well, I'm not sure exactly what could be wrong, but I have several guesses. Now, if you would please, help me prop him up." He pushed a pillow under Drake's head. "I'm going to adjust the bed, but I'm going to need you to help me move him as the bed rises. I am also going to need to take off his vest " the doctor said casually.

With Dr. Court pushing buttons to change the bed, Launchpad rearranged Drake's position to be more comfortable. The worried pilot didn't understand how the doctor could stay so calm. Then again, he figured, he saw this stuff all the time, every day.

Launchpad did as he was told and helped carefully pull off Drake's vest and then his salmon shirt. Launchpad sighed at all the matted feathers on the other's chest, holding tightly to Drake's clothes.

Dr. Court immediately began pushing aside feathers and checking for any sign of bruising or injury that might be causing the trouble. As he did this, he began to talk. "My name is Dr. Court, by the way. You are…" he glanced down at his clipboard. "Mr. Launchpad McQuack?"

"Yes, sir. But LP will work" he said kindly. Dr. Court nodded.

"LP it is then. Nice little nickname you have there" he replied. "And I'm seeing that you forgot to check off the box that says Mr. Mallard's secondary sex. Normally I can tell for myself, but oddly, Mr. Mallard smells like both an alpha and an omega."

Thinking about it for a moment and wondering which answer Drake would have wanted him to give, he decided it would be best to tell him the truth. He was a doctor. Doctors could be trusted, right? He certainly hoped so.

"Uh, Drake is an omega" he answered quietly as though it was a sin.

Dr. Court checked the box on the piece of paper. "He's un-mated?"

"N-No..."

"Are you his alpha?"

Launchpad started at the question, his face turning red for reasons he didn't know. It was a simple mistake to make. Everyone assumed an omega was mated to an alpha. "N-No. I'm a Beta."

"And you're his mate?" was Dr. Court's next question.

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?" Launchpad found himself hissing impudently. "I'm a beta and he's my omega!" He was shocked by his own fury the question stirred in him. But it was such a typical question everyone asked when they found out he was dating an omega. Society just found the need to pair omegas with alphas.

Dr. Court looked up from his clipboard and took note of his clear aggravation. "No. There is no problem with that, Mr. McQuack. It only surprised me was all. Normally Omega Agencies try to pair them up with alphas. Good for the two of you."

"So, which agency is Mr. Mallard registered under. It'll be easier for me to bring up his health records if I could just get in contact with his omega physician."

Butterflies began to swirl around in Launchpad's stomach. "Ummm...No where?"

Dr. Court gave him a concerned frown. "Surely he's registered to one. All omegas are. How else did you two meet?"

Launchpad blinked at him, noting in the back of his mind that the butterflies were fluttering more erradictly in his stomach. "I..." Well, he certainly couldn't say he met Drake while his boyfriend was dressed as his masked alter ego and crashed through the roof of his hangar. He wasn't sure how the doctor would react to an omega doing something so dangerous. " I met him at my plane hangar...He uh...Wanted to go for a plane ride..."

"That's not possible. Omegas are kept and groomed at agencies until they are ready to mate and they begin the process of meeting suitable alphas. Are you trying to tell me he is an unregistered omega?"

Alright, so the butterflies had officially given birth to bunnies in his stomach. He now had both butterflies and bunnies flying and hopping around in his stomach. He wiped sweat from his forehead. "...No?"

Dr. Court sighed and pressed his clip board close to his chest. "It goes against Omega Law 24 for him not to be registered somewhere. Perhaps he's registered at one of the open door facilities. They do not require for omegas to stay there and allow them to have a less restricted life style."

Launchpad guiltily shook his head. "No...Look, Dr. Court, even if he was, which I doubt, I wouldn't know anyways. He's never liked talking about this sort of thing with me. But does it really matter? Just..." he turned to Drake who was still unconscious on the bed. "Just help him! What does it matter if he's an omega or a beta or an alpha? He's sick and he needs medical attention!"

"You're his mate?"

"I'm as close to a mate as Drake Mallard is ever gonna have, doctor. He's not exactly your typical omega" was Launchpad's answer.

With an perturbed frown, Dr. Court pressed on. "Alright. Do you know if he's ever been here before? Any place that would have any health records of him? How about his family? Any family illnesses or diseases that could link to any of this?"

Launchpad shook his head. "Not that I know of. Like I said, he's always been pretty tight lipped about this stuff..."

Dr. Court nodded and much to Launchpad's relief, set down the clipboard and finally started focusing on Drake.

With gentle, trained fingers, he pushed aside some of the sweaty feathers on Drake's chest. His eyes scanned every detail, not finding anything that would be causing the trouble. After what felt like an age to the pilot, he finally spoke. "Well, LP, I am not finding anything visually noticeable on his chest, but that doesn't mean there is nothing wrong. The problem is obviously invisible to the human eye, meaning it's being caused by something from the inside of his chest. Now, we will run several tests on him and figure out what might be wrong. In the meantime, I would suggest you get home and get some rest. The tests may be a while, seeing as how we have no frame of reference as to what the problem is. This is where his health records would have come in handy. You see why I fussed overly so. But I'll still be able to help him, I'll just have to work from scratch. He will be kept here for the time being."

Launchpad felt his heart drop at the prospect of leaving. Leave DW? He couldn't do that. He had to stay by his side at every moment. He couldn't leave him. "Can't I stay?"

Dr. Court looked up from Drake, and curtly shook his head. "No, you will not be permitted in the examination rooms during the testing anyways. You are more than welcome to stay in our lobby if you feel the need to. The cafeteria is not far away" he paused, looking at Launchpad intently.

"Well, alright" sighed Launchpad.

He let out a breath of relief when he saw Dr. Court smile at him fondly. "Relax, Mr. McQuack. He is under good care. I would suggest getting some rest yourself." Dr. Court then waited for Launchpad to stand and walked him to the door, saying several other small words of encouragement. Once the pilot was out the door, Dr. Court shut it. Launchpad fought the urge to smash it open. He wasn't even six yards away from DW and he already felt so far away.

He forced himself to head out the hospital doors, remembering in the back of his mind that his loved one also had a daughter at home who was probably tearing the house apart in her anger for being left behind and driving poor Honker Muddlefoot up a wall with worry. He could just see Honker trying to pull her away from the door.

Honker Muddlefoot was pulling as hard as he could, trying to keep his best friend from going out the front door of the Mallard household. He was never the type to have good physical strength, especially when it came to his friend Gosalyn Mallard. She was a bundle of energy and had a strong willed mind with a great amount of spirit. So, how he was keeping her back from reaching the door was completely unknown to him. He had no idea how it was possible for him.

"Honker! Let go of me! I have got to go and see my dad! He's injured and I need to be with him!" she yelled back at him, trying to take another step towards the door. After allowing herself to be treated to a banana split by Honker, the alpha had gone right back to being furious and worried.

"Gosalyn! We've been over this! It won't do you any good to leave now and head to the hospital! They wouldn't let you in anyway!" he grunted, trying to save his energy for keeping Gosalyn at bay.

"Oh, I'd MAKE them let me!" she growled.

"Gosalyn! Please! We should at least wait until Launchpad geds back! He'll come back with news, I just know it! What probably happened is thad once the doctors went in to see him, they shooed Launchpad away!" argued Honker in his nasal voice.

The young red headed duckling finally stopped and Honker was finally able to let go of her blue jersey, which, now appeared to be stretched. Gosalyn shut the door that she had been trying to go through seconds before, her face full of sadness and dejection. "Honker" she sniffed. "He'd better be okay..." Her voice cracked. Her anger and determination were quickly replaced with heart ache and sadness.

Honker wrapped his arms around her shoulders and directed her over to the couch. She hung her head low as she sank down into the couch cushions. "He means so much to me. If it wasn't for him, I would either be dead thanks to Taurus Bulba or still at the orphanage…."

Honker wasn't sure what to say at this. Gosalyn wasn't one to talk about her past much, let alone mention Bulba or the orphanage.

Just then the front door slammed open and in came Launchpad, who seemed flustered and disoriented. Honker just gave him an odd look but Gosalyn was up in a heartbeat, literally tackling him as she shot off question after question at him.

Launchpad just barely managed to shut the front door before he found himself with an armful of Gosalyn.

She pulled at his shirt and sleeves as she rattled her demanding inquisitions. "How is he!? Is he really sick!? How bad is he!? Which hospital did you take him to!?"

Honker sighed and covered his face with his hand. Launchpad just looked down at her, as though meeting her for the first time. Gosalyn soon saw this.

"Launchpad! What's with you!?" there was silence for a moment as she tried to think of why he would be acting this way. Her eyes went wide. "He isn't…..dead, is he!?"

Launchpad seemed to come back to life at this question, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "No! No, Gos, he's not dead. He's… Well, I don't know how what's wrong with him. The doctor made me leave. He told me he were going to run several tests on him. Oh, and he wasn't happy about DW being an unregistered omega."

Gosalyn blinked,having not expected that last part. "What does that have to do with anything!? And what kind of tests!?"

This was the moment that Honker decided to speak up as he walked in between the two of them. He adjusted his glasses as the two of them looked at him expectantly. "Omegas are the rarest gender combination in regards to our first and seconds genders; especially male omegas like Mr. Mallard. The doctor was probably quite disturbed at the idea that your father hasn't been admitted anywhere before since omegas are kept under strict health regulations since they're so uncommon."

Gosalyn shrugged. "Well, so, they don't make that big of a fuss about us alphas..."

"That's because alphas are more common. They're an abundant amount of alphas and betas in the world, but not nearly enough omegas, so its believed omegas should be given special treatment."

Gosalyn snorted, clearly having heard enough. "Alright, alright! Enough omega crap! So, what kind of tests will they put him through!?"

"Well, usually when someone is that sick they have to find the cause before they can help the person." Honker looked up at Launchpad. "I'm assuming they didn't find anything visibly wrong on his chest, right?" The pilot nodded. "Then that means that there is something inside Mr. Mallard that is causing him problems. They will probably have to scan his chest and figure out if there are any abnormalities."

Gosalyn and Launchpad took in this information with wide eyes. Dr. Court hadn't gone into nearly as much detail as Honker was.

"Well, what do you mean by 'abnormality'?" questioned Gosalyn.

Honker sighed, pushing his glasses up further on his small beak out of nervous habit. "Well, it could be anything from a sore muscle to a virus or infection. There are so many things that could be giving him these problems. But considering that he is not only in pain, but starting to get sick as well, my guess is that it's more of a virus or infection of some sort than anything else."

Gosalyn looked down the floor at his reply, her face filled with concern. "I don't understand though." She looked up at her best friend. "He'll be okay, right?"

She could tell that Honker was not looking forward to answering this question just by his reluctant notion to nod. It didn't make her feel any better, since she knew he might just be saying that to make her calm down.

Launchpad had listened to them both intently, not feeling reassured in the least either. He wanted Drake to be alright. He hated the thought of not being near him. It felt wrong to have left him. But maybe now he could go back and have Gosalyn with him. Honker was more than welcome to come along if he wanted. He knew that the young duck looked up to DW after the years he's been saved by him. Honker was also a good side kick and friend for Gosalyn, automatically making him akin to family.

Launchpad cleared his throat, which got the other's attention. They both looked up at him expectantly. "Why don't we head on over to the hospital? That way you can see for yourself how he is, Gos. And you too Honker, if ya want."

Gosalyn nodded eagerly. She glanced up at Launchpad to see how he was handling everything. She knew how much Launchpad loved her dad. "Yes! I agree! I gotta see him! I gotta see how he's doing!" Anger then settled in as she gave the large pilot a kick in the leg.

Launchpad yelped at this. "Ow, hey!"

"You left me behind the first time! How dare you!?" There really wasn't all that much anger in her voice, nor scolding. It sounded more like hurt.

Launchpad looked away, turning to open the front door again, which Honker exited out of. "I'm sorry, Gos! I was just in such a rush to get DW to the hospital, I didn't think there was time to decide who was going or not!" he defended himself.

Gosalyn seemed to have accepted this answer. She leaned a bit to call out to Honker. "Honk-man, aren't you going to go tell your parents where you're going?"

Honker shook his head, walking in front of them. "No...I know my mom said to be home by dark, but she said something about baking cookies for the Book Club ladies and she'll lose track of time in the process. Last time she made cookies for them she was up for 38 hours didn't even know what day it was..."

Launchpad and Gosalyn just stared at him through the front door.

"Sounds like Mrs. Muddlefoot" deadpanned Gosalyn.

"Yeah!" agreed the pilot.

Without another word, they all got into the car, Launchpad driving of course, with Gosalyn in the front seat and Honker in the back. The poor trash cans were once again hit as Launchpad backed out of the driveway.

There was silence most of the way there, save for the small talk they all attempted. None of them really wanted to talk, especially when Launchpad was driving.

Drake's breathing quickened slightly as he slowly came to his senses, conciousness slowly coming to him as his senses began to work at a dull pace. Nothing made any sense.

He squeezed his already closed eyes further shut. Why was it so bright?

His foggy mind wondered if Gosalyn had opened the curtains to the front window for some lame reason. They usually kept the curtains closed since the Muddlefoots had an annoying habit of looking inside to see if they were there at all times of the day. There was little to no privacy when it came to them.

His hearing was the next thing to start functioning properly. There was an incessant beeping noise that was pounding at his skull. Was that the TV? Perhaps Launchpad had found yet another strange show to watch that involved unnecessary beeping noises.

Drake moved his legs, shifting them back and forth a bit. A blanket was covering him. A thin sheet, perhaps. Though it felt slightly scratchier than the ones he was accustomed to at home. Maybe Launchpad had put a thicker winter blanket over him to keep him warm after he fell asleep on the couch? It wouldn't have been the first time.

His eyes lids slowly rose and his deep blue eyes adjusted to the world before him. He was staring at a white ceiling. A white ceiling with a bright light in the middle of it. So that was the source of the bright light.

Wait, this didn't make any sense to him. There was no such light on his ceiling in the living room. Or anywhere else in his house for that matter.

the confused mallard furrowed his brow, getting a little worried and panicked. Nothing was making sense to him. He shifted his eyes around to get a better look at his surroundings and found that he was in a hospital room.

He relaxed for a moment. 'Oh, I'm just in a hospital room, heh…' His mind then processed what he had just said and his eyes widened in alarm. 'A hospital!? Why the heck was he in a hospital!?'

He jolted up, his chest exploding with pain at the sudden movement. What was going on?

It was then that a hand was placed on his shoulder and a familiar voice was heard. "Shhh….Calm down, dad. It's just me."

Drake instantly recognized the voice of his daughter and his heart rate began to slow down at last. He looked over and saw Gosalyn's concerned face beside him. She was standing next to the bed, looking down at him. She grabbed his hand gently, holding onto to it tightly. "It's okay, dad. I'm here. And so is Launchpad and Honker." He saw Gosalyn look behind her to where h e could only assume the others were.

Drake turned his head further and his eyes met the large anxious eyes of Launchpad. He breathed slowly, feeling more at ease knowing his loved ones were with him. He leaned up ever so slightly, smiling a bit. This allowed everyone else in the room to smile as well. Honker was at the foot of the bed, his face just a concerned as everyone else's.

"Oh...Hi, LP. Hi, Gos. Hi, Honker…" he greeted. Launchpad pulled a chair up close to the bed on his side and sat down, taking a jittery hand and running it through Drake's head feathers.

"Hi, there, DW" he whispered softly.

Gosalyn soon claimed a chair and did the same thing. She saw that Honker was still standing and scooted over on her chair so that they could share it.

"C-could someone please explain to me…what's happening?" Drake's voice was desperate, for he wanted to know why he was in a hospital bed and all his loved ones were watching him with looks of sadness and remorse on their faces.

All eyes all suddenly seemed to be focused on Launchpad, who gulped, clearly wishing to not be center of attention. "Well, DW, first off, I guess I should ask is: what is the last thing you remember?"

Drake thought hard at this question, trying to get all the shattered memories back in place. He remembered Binkie bringing the bread over and chastising him for not 'being a proper omega' and he remembered Gosalyn going outside with Honker. Then Launchpad and him went to relax on the couch... His mind then went completely blank.

He shook his head, his eyes going back to Launchpad. "I…remember you and I sitting on the couch talking.."

Launchpad blinked. "That's it?" He received a nod for an answer. "Well, we were talking and then you suddenly had some chest pains. You started sweating and going pale. I freaked out to say the least and I knew I had to get you some help! So, I picked you up, wrapped you in a blanket and stuck you in the car, and I drove you here."

Drake had listened with startled eyes. "I…wow…" He was at a loss for words. He jumped a bit when Gosalyn's hand reached over and gently rubbed his chest. She looked at him. "Does it still hurt, dad?"

"It kills" he corrected her. Everyone's expression seemed to deflate at this. It was then that the door to the room opened and all eyes looked over to see Dr. Court walk in. In his hands was again, his clipboard, his eyes not leaving it until he was up and beside Launchpad. He looked up and smiled at Drake's three guests. "Ah, you must be his family. Excellent. Then I will be able to give everyone the results we found."

All eyes were glued on the doctor. "Well, Mr. Mallard, first, how are you feeling?"

Drake shrugged. "I'm alright. In a lot of pain though…"

Dr. Court nodded, jotting things down on his clipboard. "That's to be expected."

"What's wrong with him!?" Launchpad demanded to know. The urgency in his voice startled everyone. Drake smiled fondly at the pilot, knowing he was just concerned.

Dr. Court took in a deep breath. "Well, it seems that you, Mr. Mallard, have got a very rare, strange, case of cancer."

All went silent in the small hospital room.

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AN: Dun dun duuuuun! Sorry for the cliffhanger!


	4. Chapter 4

Longer Days Pass

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Chapter 5

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There was so much tension and silence in the room; it was almost deafening. All eyes were currently fixed on the tall middle aged rat, who was watching Drake carefully and perceptively.

Launchpad's heart was beating heavily in his chest, the words that Dr. Court had just uttered repeating inside his mind over and over.

But it was Drake who was taking the true blow to this information. His entire body had gone numb at the news. His eyes were wide as he slowly took his gaze off of the doctor and his eyes landed down in his lap. He was now sitting up, two large white pillows sitting behind him. He was underneath the covers of the hospital bed, wearing hospital clothes. He just couldn't understand what was happening to him. None of this made any sense.

Everything was a blur.

One minute it seemed he was sitting on the couch with Launchpad. Then there had been pain. Now suddenly he was in a hospital bed surrounded by all of his loved ones and he was just told he has some odd, strange case of cancer. The doctor made it sound like he wasn't even sure that was what it was; not that it made him feel any better. The point was that there was something seriously wrong with him.

Drake shook his head slightly as though doing so would help make things clearer.

Dr. Court must have seen his inner turmoil for he moved his head ever so slightly and gave him a grim yet soft expression. "I know this is difficult to grasp, Mr. Mallard. But I am afraid it is true." He paused and cleared his throat. "Now, hope is not all lost." At this, he moistened the tips of his fingers with his tongue and flipped some pages on his clip board.

"What do you mean by that?" spoke up Gosalyn. Her voice sounded strained and emotional, which made Honker scoot closer beside her and pat her on the back for comfort.

Drake glanced over at her, but only briefly. With everything that had been going on he had almost forgotten her presence, along with everyone else's. He saw how strained and pained Gosalyn looked and she wasn't the the victim of this mess.

He turned his gaze away, acutely aware of Launchpad's sweaty hand clamped down on his own. The pilot was to his left, standing next to Dr. Court, who was still looking through his clipboard papers.

Drake could see the doctor's lips move, making him aware that he was talking, yet there were no words that Drake could hear. Why? Was he too deep in shock? Was he so caught off guard that he was blocking everything else out?

Dr. Court was speaking, despite Drake's incapability to hear him. "Mr. Mallard" he began swiftly, his voice even. Clearly he was used to explaining these sorts to things to so many other patients in the past, for his demeanor was nothing if not patient. "I'll be frank with you: I'm not sure what you are suffering from is actually cancer. We can do other tests to check for other things that could be the problem, I know for certain you have abnormal cells in your chest, seems to be the cause of your pain." He looked back down at his notes. "But, the strange part about all this, is the cells in your body that we believe to be cancer or a forming tumor, are not..." He paused, trying to find the right words.

Everyone just sat and waited.

"You have abnormal cells in your chest, but they are not your average abnormal cells. Which is why I'm not sure what to call this problem. It's baffling, Mr. Mallard. It's as though you have a new kind of cancer never quite seen before" Dr. Court further explained.

Gosalyn rolled her eyes. "You WOULD develop a new type of incurable disease, dad."

Drake shot her a peeved look before turning back to Dr. Court.

"So...It's...not cancer?" he asked.

Dr. Court sighed, resting his clipboard against his chest. "I'm not fully sure. I'm calling it cancer because I have no other term for it at the moment. But the symptoms you are saying you have are similar to other lesser known cancers and cancerous tumors we've seen. Like I said, your cells are abnormal, which...may just end up becoming a tumor, which are not always cancerous." Dr. Court shrugged. "I honestly don't know at this point."

Launchpad who had been quiet until this point, swallowed a lump in his throat and asked, "So, is Drake showing a lot of the symptoms?"

Dr. Court shrugged. "This is why I had asked you about previous medical records." He turned to Drake. "Mr. Mallard, you are not a registered omega, are you?"

Drake turned away at the question, visibly nervous about the question as he squirmed under the sheets. "No."

"Why is that? It's against the law. You know this" frowned the doctor.

Drake gave him a sour look. "You're a beta, right?"

Dr. Court blinked at the blunt question. "Yes."

"Then you don't understand what it's like. The moment I was declared an 'omega', my foster parents immediately started telling me about all the rules and regulations I would have to follow for the rest of my life. How I would have to go to Omega clinics and once I was old enough, be put through screenings until I found the perfect match to be my mate and the rest of my life would be spent catering to the needs and wants of that alpha. While it's practically built into an omega's genes and personality to WANT that kind of lifestyle, its never been one I've wanted. So, excuse me for wanting to actually have a life!" growled Drake before turning away to look at Launchpad for support.

The pilot smiled comfortingly at him.

Dr. Court sighed. "That may be, Mr. Mallard, but by having done that, you're making it harder for me to treat you. Omegas are the most complicated sex since they have such strange anatomy compared to other sexes. Especially a male omega such as yourself. Since you've never had a proper omega doctor, I have no idea of you medical history."

Drake let out a frustrated sigh, his hands fiddling with the blankets that were slowly becoming itchy. "Well, I can tell you...symptom wise...I've been having trouble sleeping lately, I feel more tired then I ever used to, I started having those chest pains, but even before then my body ached..."

Launchpad piped up. "He also hasn't been eating as much lately..."

"And he's been a depressing mess for the last few months" muttered Gosalyn.

Drake turned back to her. "I have not been!"

"Please! You've been fussing at me since I've been more active as-"

Drake gave a loud grunt, gesturing with a slicing motion at his neck to tell her to be quiet. The last thing Dr. Court needed to know was that they were both also secret vigilantes.

Dr. Court seemed to have missed the near slip. Instead, his eyes had widened as he quickly asked, "Really? Depression and lack appetite are signs of possible cancer."

Drake, his full attention back to Dr. Court, groaned as his expression saddened. "Yeah...I may have been a bit more depressed than normal lately..."

Dr. Court didn't seem at all pleased with that answer. "Mr. Mallard, you are a very strange individual. Going against your omega nature, refusing to have regular health check-ups...For an omega, its unnatural..."

Drake didn't like the way he had said that. Dr. Court had spoken as though he were a freak of nature. "I guess I just wasn't meant to be an omega then" he said snappishly. "I understand your concern, but this is just who I am." His voice must have sounded strange, for it made all of his loved ones look at him with sympathy.

Dr. Court studied Drake for a moment, peering at him with concern, before saying, "Now, I will be back shortly to give you a list of recommendations that should help you with the pains you are experiencing. And I know you won't want to hear this, but I am going to give you a list of Omega Clinics that you can go to. And Mr. Mallard, you WILL be going to one of them. Is that clear?"

Stubbornly, Drake looked away with a stony expression.

Dr. Court pressed on. "Now, to recap-As I said, I'm calling it cancer for the time being, but that doesn't mean that's what it is. It could be a tumor forming...Which may or may not be cancerous itself. The fact that you are in pain worries me. The fact that you are an unregistered omega with no medical history to work off of concerns me even more. That sort of information would allow me to understand your physiology a lot better."

"I'll do my best to get him to start seeing a proper doctor, Dr. Court" Launchpad spoke quietly. This earned him a soft glare from his boyfriend in the bed.

Dr. Court nodded. "I'll be just a moment as I get the list of clinics and some other paperwork." Without another moment's waste, Dr. Court left the room.

Gosalyn didn't waste a second. Once the door had shut behind Mr. Court, she began climbing into the hospital bed, cuddling up to her father in a warm embrace. She positioned herself to sit just next to her father, holding onto him tightly.

Drake smiled warmly down at her as he helped them get situated. He caressed her red hair, which she still wore in her infamous pig tail hairstyle.

Gosalyn buried her face in his chest, not planning on letting go of him anytime soon. Drake didn't care. He wanted it this way.

"There, there, now, Gos. I'm alright…" he whispered into her ear, having moved his head downwards towards her ear. He started rubbing her back when she didn't respond.

Launchpad sighed and moved closer up to the head of the bed, going as far as placing a hand on Drake's shoulder. This made Drake look at him. "You sure you're okay, DW?"

Drake nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, LP" he smiled, trying to sound convincing, but everything else claimed otherwise. Launchpad moved his chair even closer to the bed and up near the Drake's head. Honker had claimed Gosalyn's chair, since she was still holding hugging her father closely.

It was then that Drake felt moisture against his chest. He looked down at Gosalyn, realizing she was crying. "What's wrong, Gosalyn, sweetie?" he cooed in a nurturing way.

After a moment of sniffles, Gosalyn slowly raised her head from Drake's chest, rubbing her red, tear-stained eyes. She sniffed loudly before whispering , "It's just…..When I saw Launchpad carrying you to the car...and now seeing you in a hospital bed...I just don't like the thought of losing you..."

Drake's heart almost broke at her answer, his insides melting. He was touched. He ran a soothing hand over the top of her head. "Aww, sweetie. It's alright. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere...I'm not going anywhere without a fight, I promise..." he raised her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. He smiled before placing a kiss on her forehead. Gosalyn giggled slightly at his words of assurance before sinking back into their embrace. The rest of the afternoon was spent waiting on the doctor; no one knowing what was going to happen next.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The sun was shining way up above in the sky, yet no one was able to see it thanks to the great thickness of the smog, smoke, and clouds that were blocking its rays from shining down onto the ground.

The city was half demolished and decaying. Tall towers from factories were emitting thick stacks of smoke, adding more smog to the sky. A fire was burning near the South end of town, but no one seemed to notice nor care. Trash littered the streets of the suburban neighborhood; the grass all brown and dead due to the lack of water and sunlight it needed to thrive. Broken glass was on the sidewalks, graffiti on all the lamp posts and street signs, and broken down cars parked along the road. The very air itself seemed to have a discreet yet noticeable tinge of red in it.

This was normal for the Negaverse though.

Inside the 357 Avian Way house, which had a large crack in its front window and gutters from the roof falling down, was quiet. The front door had a large hole in it, which looked like the place someone had kicked it through. A large anvil was laying not too far from the sidewalk, which itself was surrounded by weeds.

Inside, lay the large brutish form of Nega-Launchpad, wearing a black leather jacket, its sleeves torn off and big clunky combat boots on his feet, which rested on the small table in front of the couch. The table was missing a leg and leaning to one side. The couch he was laying on was missing half of its stuffing and seemed to be ready to collapse at any moment.

Nega-Launchpad was glaring at the TV, his arms crossed over his large chest and watching a combat movie with lots of gunfire.

The large duck heard a door slam open from upstairs and taking his eyes off the TV, he glanced over at the stairs, its railing broken in several places. He watched as Negaduck yawned largely then glare out at the world around him. Nega-Launchpad heard the villain grunt as he walked into the kitchen. It wasn't three seconds later when Nega-Launchpad heard him scream, "GOSALYN!"

Down the creaky stairs bounced little Nega-Gosalyn, her pink dress having not changed very much over the last few years. The only difference were that there were a few less frills, but still cute and adorable nonetheless. And still far from Negaduck's taste of proper attire. She made her way into the kitchen, where she gave a bow, "Yes, Lord Negaduck, sir?" she greeted, looking up into her guardian's face.

Negaduck flinched at her cuteness. "Cut that out! I'll be sick if you don't!" He paused, sneering. "Well!? Where's my coffee!?" Gosalyn looked at the counter top, seeing just about everything except the coffee her guardian wished. Old rotted bowls and plates and silverware were in the sink, a spider web with a large spider underneath the cupboards, and old food from days ago. "Oh, I thought I made you some" blinked the little red head.

Negaduck groaned, the sneer on his face widening. "Well, it's not here, now is it, Little Miss Sunshine!?"

Nega-Gosalyn, used to his antics, just set to work at getting him what he wanted. She ducked inside a cupboard and pulled out what she needed to make the coffee.

Negaduck looked away, not wanting to look at her anymore than he had to. He sat down at the kitchen table, pushing aside some old newspapers and plates with left over, rotten food on them.

"Well, Negs" huffed Nega-Launchpad as he walked into the kitchen, " I've been watchin' the news all morning and there's been nuttin' on there about last night's robbery." He shook his head, disgusted.

Gosalyn glanced over at her 'father', having expected him to reply at this.

Nega-Launchpad was also waiting for a grunt or sneering comment from the criminal. They both noticed that Negaduck was sitting there in his chair, holding onto his chest and wincing, as though he were in pain.

"Is there something wrong, daddy?" asked Nega-Gosalyn with concern and walking up to him. She had forgotten the coffee for a moment.

"Call me 'daddy' one more time and your face is going to be smashed into the wall! Now why don't I hear my coffee being made!?" snarled Negaduck at last.

Nega-Gosalyn flinched, taking a step back and whirling back around; her attention again focused on making the coffee. She nearly dropped the little container of coffee beans when Negaduck gave a loud holler of pain. Launchpad scratched the back of his head. "What's wrong, there, Negs?"

Negaduck was still sitting there, rubbing profusely at is chest, slightly hunched in his spot. "My damn chest hurts, what's it look like!?"

"Why does it hurt?" asked Nega-Gosalyn in a small voice, her back still facing him as she was still making his coffee. Negaduck's glaring eyes moved over to her, having been just staring out in front of him before.

"How the hell should I know!? All I know that it's killin' me!" He barked out this last bit just before he convulsed once again in pain, wincing and grunting.

"I'm worried about you, da- Lord Negaduck. Maybe you should have that checked out" squeaked the little pink duckling.

Negaduck's evil glare returned to Nega-Gosalyn as she turned back to face him. "Oh, isn't that sweet!? The little brat cares about me" His voice was pure venom. "Well, I'll have you know, Little Miss Fruitcake, I'm not goin' anywhere except back to the Normalverse!"

Nega-Gosalyn's heart skipped a beat as she remembered who it was who lived in the Normalverse. Someone who was kind, proud and slightly egotistic, but gentle.

Yes.

He called himself Darkwing Duck. She'd never forget the warm hug he had given her. If only Negaduck would treat her that way, then she would be the happiest little duckling in the world. She couldn't help but smile as she took a small cup, its handle broken, and poured Negaduck some coffee. He must of noticed the smile on her small beak, for he snapped, "Wipe that disgusting smile off your face! God! It's nauseating!"

"I'm sorry…" whispered Nega-Gosalyn, looking away.

"Sorry, 'what'-!?" demanded Negaduck.

"Sorry…..Lord Negaduck…" was the weak reply.

"That's better…" he grumbled, standing up and taking his cup of coffee with him. Launchpad stood there awkwardly in the kitchen behind Negaduck's chair, watching him. He scratched the back of his head once more. "I thought we were goin' upstairs once you had your coffee, Lor' Negs" he said.

Negaduck whirled around. "No, you knob! First off, I'm not drunk enough. And second, I'll probably never get drunk enough again to EVER do that with you again! Now SCRAM!"

Launchpad didn't need to be told twice. He made a deep grunting noise, clearly unhappy with Negaduck's answer and grabbed his large gun from the counter before heading out the back door.

Negaduck watched after him for a moment, then shook his head. He glanced back once more to see Nega-Gosalyn trying to tidy up the counter top. "Would you stop that damn cleaning! It's nasty!"

Gosalyn immediately stopped what she was doing, dropping the rag she had been using to clean with and bolted up to her room, the only decent place in the house.

Negaduck, meanwhile, went into the living room and sat down on the couch, turning off the TV and sitting there, drinking his coffee. The pain in his chest wasn't going away anytime soon. It was killing him. And unless he did something about it, he figured he'd be passed out before he could say "Knob". He thought hard, trying to think of the last time there had been an operative hospital last seen. It had been a while since he'd blown the last one that attempted to make itself known in the area. He never thought the need to have a hospital was important, considering he was the Lord of the Negaverse, he would never get hurt. He was tough guy, not like he would need one.

Well, the terrible pain in his chest was saying otherwise. He winced, nearly dropping his coffee cup, however, some did spill on his yellow jacket. "Damn…" he muttered. He tossed aside the cup, causing it to crash and fall against the wall, leaving a dripping stain where it hit.

He rubbed at his chest. He had to do something. And quickly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Back in the Normalverse, the hospital door swung shut after Dr. Court walked back into the room. After giving over the lists and papers with information over to Drake, he began speaking. "Seriously, Mr. Mallard, you need to see a proper doctor. Or at least an Omega nutritionist."

Drake scanned his eyes over the list of Omega Clinics with a disproving frown. Gosalyn was still tucked underneath his arm; her face buried in his torso. They all suspected she'd dozed off.

"Now" continued Dr. Court. "I need to ask you a few questions before I prescribe you some antibiotics for the chest pains."

Drake set the papers on his lap and sighed; waiting to listen. He ignored Honker who had taken the papers to look over them himself out of medical curiosity.

"Are you on any other medications right now?" was Dr. Court's first question.

"No."

"Any allergies?"

"No."

"Are you on any kind of birth control?"

"Yes."

Dr. Court frowned. "What kind?"

Drake reluctantly listed off the kinds he was taking.

Dr. Court's eyes widened. "Why are you on suppressants?"

Drake rolled his eyes. "What part of, 'I don't like being an omega' didn't you get earlier?"

Dr. Court closed his eyes and exhaled. "And I'm assuming because you do not have an omega doctor, you were not taking them because you were advised to."

"You're good, doctor" mocked Drake.

Dr. Court ignored the jab. "You know those lower your birth rate."

Drake nodded. "I know. But I already have my baby right here" said Drake softly and softer than he had been talking to the doctor. Drake looked down at Gosalyn and ran a rand through her hair.

"So she is your daughter? How old were you when you had her?"

Drake shook his head. "I don't birth her. I adopted her. She's mine in every way but blood. I may as well have birthed her though, with how much I've had to go through for her."

Gosalyn must have still been awake for Drake yelped when he felt her pinch him in the side. He chuckled and patted her on the head. "See? I have my baby girl blue..." He turned to Launchpad. "And I have my Beta. I may not be a typical Omega, but I'm happy with what I have. So, if you would just stop judging me for one minute and just help me figure out what's wrong, I'd love to get back to being with my family."

Dr. Court smiled and gave a short curt nod. "I can respect that. I just want to you to realize you're making this a bit harder for me by being the way you are."

Drake nodded.

"I will be sure to prescribe you to an antibiotic then. Just take this to the counter in front and they'll fill out your papers for you. I will be on contact with you in the next few days, Mr. Mallard."

They all nodded and said their thanks before Dr. Court left the room.

Launchpad sighed and looked down at Drake, who was now looking at the list of recommendations and doctor's orders he had gotten back from Honker. On the papers were exercises and a diet he was supposed to follow through on for the next few weeks.

The large pilot took a hand and rubbed along Drake's neck, rubbing it at as the smaller mallard leaned in closer to him without realizing it. His attention was still focused on the paper he was holding in front of him.

"That feels good…" mumbled Drake, earning him a smile from Launchpad as the pilot sat down at the very edge of the bed and continued to do that.

Gosalyn finally emerged from her spot in her father's chest. Dr. Court had not seemed fazed at all by her clingy attitude, presumably used to such actions between loved ones.

Now though, with Honker still sitting in her chair, Gosalyn almost now had to stay where she was, which she realized a few moments later. "Hey, you took my chair!" she reprimanded him, looking back at him, but her body still facing her dad. Honker blinked at her, adjusting his glasses.

"No, I didn't. You weren't using it. Besides, what was I sup'osed to do, just stand there?" he replied back in his nasally voice.

Gosalyn didn't reply, just turned back to her dad. "Are you gonna be okay?" she asked him.

Drake sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I wish I could say 'yes', but I feel awful" he began. Gosalyn scooted back from her spot on the large bed, finally giving him some space. Launchpad grimaced at his answer, feeling terrible. "I feel tired and exhausted. Yet I know I won't be able to sleep. My entire body aches, mainly my chest, of course. And I just….. feel awful…." at this last word he slumped further down into the covers and into the bed.

Launchpad moved closer once again. "Well, I'm here for you, DW. And soon you'll be home and you can get some proper rest. Dr. Court said we can leave whenever we're ready." He tried to sound hopeful in his words, but everyone could tell it wasn't helping. But every little bit helped the cause. Honker nodded.

"Yes, that surprises me though. I would have thought they would want to keep you here a little bit longer to watch and study the cancer more" voiced Honker. All eyes were on him.

"Yes, but Honker, the doctor also said they're not even sure what he has even IS cancer. There's nothing they can do but help with the pain until they can get him in here to do more tests" explained Gosalyn. Everyone was amazed that she knew all this. She saw this and added quickly, "Hey, just cause I was hugging dad the whole time, doesn't mean I wasn't listening!"

Truth be told, they had all assumed she had drifted to sleep. But it didn't matter, especially not to Launchpad. All that was on his mind was how Drake was doing. He was watching his closest friend with careful eyes. Drake must have noticed this for he looked up at him and smiled, "LP, it's okay. I'm fine" he assured his friend.

Launchpad nodded."Aww, I'm sorry, DW. I'm just worried about you!" he apologized with a guilty look on his face. Drake nodded and smiled widely.

"I know you are."

"So what happens now, Mr. Mallard?" asked Honker.

Drake sighed. "I wish I knew. I guess now I just have to get home and…..take it easy. Wait until I can go pick up the antibiotics" he said this with a defeated sigh.

Launchpad looked away, knowing the hidden statement of that sentence. It meant that he wouldn't be able to be Darkwing Duck anymore. Or at least, nearly as much as he used to be. He supposed that he still could be, he just wouldn't be able to handle as much as he used to. He glanced up at Gosalyn, who was watching as Drake pulled down the covers and attempted to get out of bed.

Gosalyn pushed herself off the bed so Drake could sit at the edge of the bed.

"Come on, I want to go home!" whined Drake.

"You should probably rest a bit longer, Mr. Mallard" advised Honker as he pushed his glasses further up his beak.

Drake groaned as Gosalyn pushed him gently back onto the bed.

Launchpad chuckled. "Come on lighten up, DW!" He said this as he watched Drake lose at trying to get out of the bed, Gosalyn pushing him back into the two large pillows he was sitting on. Launchpad grabbed the two pillows from behind Drake, making the shorter mallard fall back a bit, and fluffed the pillow. He was about to put it back when Drake snatched them from him. He blinked. "Hey! DW, I was just fluffing the pillows for you! I was going to put them back!"

Drake sighed and put the pillows back behind him, slapping Launchpad's hand away as the pilot tried to help him. "I'm fine, LP!"

Launchpad backed away, looking like a dog that had just been kicked. Gosalyn gave him a lopsided smile. "He's just fussy cause we're making him stay in bed" she assured him, but Launchpad didn't seem as convinced. He watched Drake for a little bit longer as the mallard crossed his arms and began talking with Honker and Gosalyn.

Knowing that things were taking a turn for the better, he let his mind wander a bit. The pilot began to think of how nervous and tense things had been for the both of them when he had first admitted his feelings for Drake.

Neither of them had been able to speak to one another. It was simply too awkward. But oddly enough, it had been the Thunderquack that had brought them together. While up in the tower, fully dressed and in Darkwing mode, Launchpad had been down below working on something underneath the Thunderquack. Unable to get it, Launchpad asked for Darkwing's help, so vigilante went underneath the Thunderquack as well.

There, on their backs, lying next to each other, the two had finally managed to make a connection after several days of silence. It hadn't been much. Just some well thought out words and some gentle gestures and things just sort of happened.

It had been slow at first. Just little hints now and then that things were alright between them, but as time went by, it became easier to say things to one another and it was the little details that mattered most. Like the closeness, or the holding of hands when helping one another.

Launchpad sighed as he came back to reality. He looked up and saw that somehow Drake and Gosalyn had started fighting over one of his pillows. The pilot couldn't help but smile. Despite the fact that he was just told he had an illness they've never quite seen before, Drake had a way to still be goofy with his daughter. That was one thing he didn't have to worry about.

Hating to ruin the moment, Launchpad asked "Is the pain still bothering you?" Drake shook his head.

"No. Dr. Court had given me some basic pain medication apparently" he stopped and pointed up at the UV that was connected to his arm. "Through that. It was before you guys got here and its now taking full effect."

Gosalyn and Launchpad nodded up at it whilst Honker looked at it with little interest, having already figured that out before them.

It was then that the door reopened and all eyes went to see Dr. Court standing there. His face was warm as he looked at his patient, moving past Launchpad and walking up to hand Drake several papers and a bottle of medication. "Take these, Mr. Mallard, whenever you feel an immense amount of pain and discomfort. It is non-drowsy, but it still known to make some sleepy, so I would advise you not to be driving any time after taking these, or therefore, any heavy machinery. Now, when you run out, just give us a call and we'll give you another supply if needed" he spoke with confidence; confidence which, sounded as though he has said this enough times to know the result of most patients. The same kind that came from experience.

Dr. Court then walked around to the other side of the bed, where he disconnected the IV from Drake's arm and set it down on a small table next to the bed, taking the bag of liquid and its wheels with him and out the door, the wheels he was pushing squeaking all the way down the hall.

"DW" the pilot cleared his throat, looking back at Drake after watching the doctor go. "You about ready to go now?"

"Yeah! I've been ready!" Drake said eagerly wishing to get out of the hospital bed and back into his own home as soon as possible.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"ACHOOO!"

The sneeze had been so loud it could be heard throughout the entire Lighthouse.

"Awwwwwwwwwwww!" drawled out Quackerjack as he skipped up to his friend Megavolt, who was laying on the couch and curled up underneath a bright blue blanket, looking sullen. "My widdle Megsy isn't feeling good!" The hyper jester pouted, his large beak making it look even bigger. He was speaking like a little child would to his parent.

Megavolt glared up at the jester. "Oh, so oo figred thad oud all by yourself!?" he demanded the electrified rodent. His speech was slightly off due to his stuffy nose and his voice was lower and not as strong as it usually was. Moments later, without answering, Quackerjack gently landed on Megavolt's lap, seemingly as a light as a feather, which Megavolt couldn't figure out how that could be.

Taking a white feathered hand and holding it in front of Megavolt's face, Quackerjack gently began rubbing Megavolt's jugular, gazing at the rodent tenderly. "Shhh….Try not to speak, love. You'll make your voice even worse than it already is. You might *GASP* lose it" he giggled, showing some fake surprise as he spoke. He was laughing at the idea, despite the fact that the very thought scared him terribly.

The jester scooted back a bit so that he wasn't sitting on Megavolt's legs, but instead the couch small section of couch not being used; his long thin legs across Megavolt's lap, his big purple clown pants seeming even bigger than usual.

"Shudup.." mumbled Megavolt, looking away.

"Oh, you're just all cantankerous!" mused Quackerjack, pulling out a paddle ball.

"I'm-whad?" blinked the rodent in confusion.

Quackerjack opened his mouth to respond when the door to the lighthouse burst open. Megavolt jumped at the noise, then let a sneeze. Quackerjack squeaked at the sneeze, watching as his love rubbed at his nose. They then looked back at the door to see the outline of a duck wearing a large fedora light coming in front behind made it hard to identify the visitor cloaked in shadow.

"That's either Negs or Darky" commented Quackerjack in a small voice.

Megavolt just ignored him as he watched on.

"What are you knobs doing!?" snarled Negaduck's voice.

"Yep, definitely Negs" muttered Quackerjack. He hopped off of Megavolt's lap, bouncing over to his boss. Now closer to him and in better light, he was finally able top see him properly and gasped at the sight. He stepped back. Negaduck glared at him with a deadly stare. "Negs!? I- You-"

"I what!? Spit it out, you stupid clown!" barked Negaduck.

Quackerjack nervously pulled down on his jester end. "You look terrible!" he cried, then ran back to Megavolt for cover and hiding behind the couch.

Negaduck watched the other duck in the room carefully as he walked closer to them. Quackerjack was right. Negaduck didn't look well at all. He looked exhausted. Large purple bags were under his eyes which could even be seen through his black mask. His yellow jacket was wrinkled and stained. His cape was crumpled. His feather's looked sticky and sweaty. He looked sick.

"Maybe oo sould sid down an dink somefing" offered Megavolt.

Negaduck blinked at him. "Speak English!" he demanded.

"I….am…" fumbled Megavolt, shrinking down further into the couch cushions as though they would save him from Negaduck's anger.

"He has a cold!" Quackerjack quietly spoke, clearing things up.

"That's a damn shame! I feel as though a bullet just went through my chest, yet here I am, still speaking proper English!" sneered Negaduck.

Quackerjack and Megavolt both shrank back at this.

"Now, if we're done with the idle chit-chatting, I have some plans for you boys…" sneered Negaduck.

Megavolt and Quackerjack just looked at each other, wary of what was to come.

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	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I would like to note that this story is a bit of an AU compared to me other fics. It doesn't go along with them, since others have gone in the form of a story line. Such as 'Deepening Roots', 'Electrifying Memories', and 'Toymaker Madness' all go together. This story is off on its own. It is not a sequel to any other story in any way. Therefore, the Fearsome Five are not broken up in this story. They are still a villainous team. Just to clear that up. Any other questions, just let me know. Enjoy the chapter!

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The late afternoon sun beat down hard on the city of St. Canard as Drake, Launchpad, Gosalyn, and Honker finally made it back Avian Way. It had not yet gotten dreadfully hot outside, but the humid air made it feel hotter.

The dull ache in his chest was all Drake could think about as he walked through the front door to his house. All he wanted to do was sleep. But Dr. Court had recommended him eating something before doing anything else.

Getting something in his stomach was one of the first things Launchpad and Gosalyn wanted him to do. It was less Dr. Court's orders and more their orders since they knew how little he had been eating as of late.

Drake groaned as Gosalyn walked in front of him with her one hand clasped firmly around her father's hand. Drake couldn't help but smile fondly at the gesture. "Aww, Gos, I'm fine. You don't have to do that" he told her as gently as possible. He hated being taken cared of; it made him feel like a weakling. He remembered the time when he had been hit be the speed ray that made him super fast and grow old quickly. He had hated every moment of that; since after a while, he had become so helpless.

The shorter mallard sighed, knowing his loved ones would easily start catering to his ever whim, leaving him with nothing to do but twiddle his thumbs. While some would find that luxurious; the very thought of being so inactive made Drake's skin crawl.

Launchpad walked in behind Drake, his eyes never leaving the shorter mallard in front of him. "You sure you're good enough to walk, DW?"

Drake forced himself to keep his nerve and not snap at him, but he wasn't able to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine! The pain isn't as bad anymore! I'm just gotta sit back and relax, alright?"

Honker was the last one who walked in, shutting the door behind him. He adjusted his small round glasses and cleared his throat shyly. "Well, I'd best be getting back home everyone. I'm sure my folks are already starting dinner… I'll go through the back door." he told everyone, his polite nature being seen by everyone. They all nodded.

"Okay, Honk. I'll walk you over" Gosalyn offered with a grin. Launchpad and Drake watched as the two of them headed to the back of the house. A moment later they could both hear the back door open and close.

The two friends looked at each other and shrugged. Placing hands on his back, Drake leaned backwards in order to crack his back before heading over to the couch.

Launchpad averted his gaze, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"Err….DW? I think you should eat something…." he suggested.

"Sit next to me…" replied Drake quietly in reply. He patted the spot next to him gently. The way he said it made the pilot realize it wasn't just a simple request; something was on Drake's mind.

Launchpad blinked at what he heard. He looked at Drake carefully, wondering if he had heard right. This simple gesture seemed so odd coming from Drake. Very out of character. Drake was not a very forward person when it came to their relationship. With Morgana, Drake had been forward in regards to showing affection.

Yet when he had started being with Launchpad he became more discreet. It saddened the pilot that things were like that and that Drake was not nearly as open and comfortable with them as he had been with her; but then again, Launchpad was just thrilled there was anything between them at all. He didn't hold it against Drake for it was all a bit awkward, but the pilot still couldn't feel a twinge of sadness.

"Ummm…what?" stuttered Launchpad, not sure of what to do.

Drake was staring into space as he scooted over on the couch, leaving more room for Launchpad, patting the spot where he wanted him to sit. "Come on."

Launchpad pulled on the scarf around his neck nervously and did as he was told. His heart was beating out of control as he sat down. This was nothing new, but it was just the way Drake had asked him to sit, instead of him just sitting on his own. He didn't understand why he was having such a reaction, but he was. Almost shyly, Launchpad sat down on the couch next to Drake, who leaned back into the cushions before sighing and lowering his eyes.

"I hate this…" mumbled Drake, crossing his arms, wincing a bit as his chest started to sting at the movement.

Launchpad frowned. "I'm sorry, DW. I really wish there was something I could do to make this all go away…"

Drake nodded. He leaned closer to Launchpad, resting himself on the pilot's large arm and shoulder. Launchpad slowly felt himself starting to relax after several moments. The tension in his shoulders fading away. Launchpad soon found the remote and turned on the television.

Drake lazily gestured to the TV with his arm. "Turn on the news. See what's happening" and then he sulked off to the kitchen. Drake found himself unable to just sit. He was too restless.

Launchpad, still sitting there, just stared down at the remote control that was in his hands. The TV was the last thing on his mind. He took in a deep breath and let it out. As weird and tense as things were between them, Launchpad wouldn't trade it for anything else. It was far better than it was before they had started dating. Back then it was just Launchpad wrapped up in his emotions and deep romantic feelings for Darkwing and not having the guts to say anything about it. It was been a nightmare.

Launchpad reached up, pointing the remote at the TV and clicked it on, where he started flipping through the channels. He had just missed 'Pelican's Island', so that wasn't an option. After several minutes worth of flipping through the channel, not really caring what was on, he stopped at the news.

He was about to continue switching channels when he heard the sound of something falling to the floor with a loud clang, with a cry from Drake. "Yeeooouch!"

Launchpad was up from the couch in a heartbeat as he raced to the kitchen. "DW! What's wrong!?" He ran into the kitchen, stopping short as he entered. He found Drake nursing his index finger. "DW?"

Drake looked up, sucking at his finger. When he pulled it out, the pilot was able to see blood on a few of his feathers. "Relax, LP, I just cut my finger on that stupid knife" he explained, scowling down at the knife he had dropped on the floor.

Launchpad walked up to him, taking his hand and looking at the cut itself. "Oh, well, gee, DW, by the way you cried out, I would have figured Megavolt or someone was here" he laughed.

Drake gave him an bemused look before taking his hand back and searching for a band-aids.

Drake mumbled to himself as his full attention on finding the item he needed. He reached up to the shelving above the kitchen counter on his tip toes; clearly straining to search for the band-aids.

Launchpad quietly chuckled as he watched Drake struggle, knowing how much Drake hated being reminded for his shortened height. Though he knew he would get reprimanded for it, Launchpad placed a hand under each of Drake's arms and gently lifted the mallard so that Drake was eye level with the cabinet. Predictably, he heard Drake growl in annoyance. Without any verbal complaints though, Drake set up pushing items aside until he found the band-aids. He took them from the shelf and waited for Launchpad to set him down.

Launchpad set him back down on the tiled floor but not before giving Drake a kiss on the cheek.

Turning to Launchpad once he was on the floor, Drake tried to look annoyed, but the blush on his face made it hard to take the soft glare seriously.

"Sorry, DW, but you couldn't reach" apologized the tall pilot with a laugh. "And you're adorable when you try reaching for something high up."

Drake muttered something softly in reply but Launchpad couldn't hear, nor did he worry. He knew Drake wasn't actually angry.

Drake focused on the box of band-aids; opening it ip and pulling out the small bandage. He made sure to avoid using his slightly bloody cut finger. He then distractedly handed the box back to L aunchpad to place back in the cabinet.

Drake soon got the band-aid on his finger, swatting away Launchpad's helpful hands. Launchpad resolutely took a step back, knowing Drake was nearing his limited patience on accepting help.

As Drake inspected his finger, Launchpad spoke up. "DW, what did you mean back there on the couch? About what you wished?"

Drake shrugged, satisfied that his finger was taken care of. "Oh! That, it was nothing!" he insisted airily.

"Come on, DW…. You usually don't just say things. You mean them…"

Drake closed his eyes. He sighed. "What I was going to say is…. I wish I never let anyone close." Launchpad was about to say something, but Drake beat him to it. "I wish I never got close to anyone, because….now that I'm...supposedly...sick, its worrying you guys. And hurting you. It's affecting you, Gosalyn, and even Honker. I don't like it."

Launchpad frowned. He moved to stand behind Drake and wrapped his arms around the shorter mallard. Drake suddenly had an immense fascination with the knife he had cut himself on that was sitting on the counter. "Look, let's just go and watch some television or something okay?" he offered.

Launchpad looked like he wanted to press further but closed his beak and nodded; following his paramour into the other room.

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The hot humid air soon resulted into a thunderstorm as the day progressed. The rain was pouring down through the city, thunder rumbling high in the clouds. The town was quiet, since no one was outside due to the weather unless they had to be.

The two shadows that were standing out on the street of downtown St. Canard sure wished they could count themselves as one of the many who weren't outside.

One super-villain in particular: Megavolt.

"Oooooh! Why do we have to be out here anyways!?" he demanded to know in his nasally voice, which sounded even more nasally since he still had his cold. He rubbed at his arms, trying his best to keep himself warm, but his yellow jumpsuit, gloves, goggles, plug hat, and battery only did so much. His situation wasn't helped by being shorted out.

Large colorful arms suddenly embraced him, a warm body pulling close to him and pressing up against his back. The sounds of little bells jingling could be heard as Quackerjack tenderly kissed Megavolt on the cheek, causing a spark to form on one of his frayed whiskers,whiskers which burned out at the end of it.

"My poor Megsy. It's not my fault you never dress properly for the elements. Why else do you think I wear this jester outfit?" asked Quackerjack.

Megavolt turned his head a bit so that he could see Quackerjack out of his corner of his crazed eye. "Because you're an insane psychopath who thinks he's twelve instead of forty?"

Quackerjack flinched and let out a squeak of shock as he let go of Megavolt. " I am NOT FORTY!"

"Oh, sorry. Forty-one" shrugged Megavolt indifferently before shivering severely.

Quackerjack gave out a small snarl as he kicked Megavolt in the leg, who flinched and dodged to the side in case Quackerjack decided to hit him more. " That's not nice, Megs! I'm not THAT old!" He stopped his foot down, his large red shoes making them look all the bigger. He crossed his arms, pouting like an eight year old. "How old are you, Megs!? You can't be any younger than I am!"

Megavolt considered this question for a moment, wishing it would stop pouring down rain. He was useless while shorted out. "Actually, I think you're older than me…"

"How do you figure!? And you didn't answer my question, you silly boy!" demanded Quackerjack.

Megavolt shrugged. "Well, what year did Whiffle Boy come out?"

"March 21st, 1996" replied the jester matter-of-factly. He has said it so quickly, it was as though he didn't have to think about it, which struck the rodent as odd.

Megavolt nodded nonetheless. "Okay, well, you were about twenty-one then, right? Well, its 2016 now, so that's been twenty years….So that makes you-"

"Grrr….. What does it even matter, Megsy!?" screeched Quackerjack, jumping up and down in anger.

"I'm twenty-nine" commented Megavolt in an unimpressed voice. He then sneezed, which shook his whole body, his plug helmet turning blue with electricity. The shock from it made him jump a bit and fall to the ground, his gaze unfocused and a bit of smoke emitting from his hat. " I hate it when I do that…."

Quackerjack gave him a pitying look, having seen the same thing take place many times in the past few days. "You can't be twenty-nine! Why, I know what year you graduated, and if you graduated in 2003, then you would be thirty! See, you're old too, ya old fart!" He stuck his tongue out at the other convict.

Megavolt didn't reply at first, still recovering from his giant sneeze which caused an odd effect from the electricity inside him. "Ugh. Wow. That's one way to clear up my sinuses…." He shook his head and rubbed large his nose, only to sneeze again. He looked up at the sky and into the pouring rain. "We really shouldn't just be standing out here talking. You wonder why I have a cold…"

"Yeah, I do wonder…" nodded Quackerjack wistfully.

Looking back down at the street before them, Megavolt continued. "And I know I'm twenty-nine because I was always a year ahead of everyone."

"Why?" squeaked the jester, pulling out his paddle ball and playing with it

"Because I was smarter than everyone else" voiced Megavolt, tilting his head to one side. He was still sitting on the wet ground. A bolt of lightning pierced through the sky above them, a second later, an enormous loud bang of thunder came quickly after making Quackerjack cover his ears.

"Oooh! What you look at that beauty!" Megavolt raised his arms to the sky as if trying to give it a hug. "You beautiful black abyss you! Give me what you got!" There was another bolt of lightning as though the sky was answering his call. "Oh! I should go and get a kite! Now is a great time to fly a kite!" Megavolt looked up at Quackerjack. "You have your kite with you, don't you!?"

Quackerjack smiled down at him affectionately, offering his hand to help him up. As he helped Megavolt up he said, "Sorry, Megsy, but we can't." He pointed across the street. "We have to wait for the doctor to come out of the Nut House." He was referring to a doctor's office across the street from them.

Through the glass window they could see two occupants inside. One looked to be an secretary, and the other older male appeared to be a doctor of some type from his white coat. A police man was standing near the exit, talking to them while he was on duty, which was why they had to wait. Negaduck wouldn't appreciate it if a cop got involved. Or worse, Darkwing Duck.

Megavolt sneezed and shivered once more. "I wid theyd would hurry" he paused and blinked after he heard himself speak. "DOH! And I jud got my English back doo…" he lamented, his speech messed up again from his cold. Quackerjack wrapped and arm around him, keeping him close and warm. The two continued to stand there in the rain, waiting; thunder and lightning pounding above them.

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"Everyone run!" screamed a man who was running for his life. The white hallways of the hospital were filled with panicking doctors and nurses who were either running for their own lives or trying to save the lives of the patients from the thousands of the vines that were currently slithering their way through the halls. They snaked their way on the walls, floor, and ceiling, heading from room to room.

The doctors and nurses were trying to wheel out the patients that were still in bed and on an IV and couldn't leave themselves.

In the midst of the all chaos and panic stood two solitary figures. The only ones that weren't fleeing for their lives.

"Say, Buddy, why do you suppose Negs wants us to be doing this?" asked the baritone voice of Reginald Bushroot. He stood there, his one arm crossed and the other supporting his chin. He watched the scene before them with little interest as his plants took over. "I mean, it's not like any of these doctors are willingly going to come with us…"

Liquidator looked over at Bushroot, who was standing right beside him; a bemused look on his watery canine face. His eyes perked up as he replied, "Who says they have to come willingly? A demanding customer gets the best offerings."

Bushroot shrugged. "Eh, I suppose. But how are we supposed to know which one is the right one? He said he didn't want just any doctor..."

"If any deal is meant to be, it'll make itself happen!" cried out Liquidator.

It was then that three little daffodils came up, one of them tapping Bushroot on his wooded leg. Bushroot turned and seeing that it one of his many flowers, he smiled down at it, turning to face them before kneeling. Liquidator watched them with fascination; knowing that they were speaking telepathically.

"Now, go my little ones! Go and make daddy proud!" Bushroot stood at these words, watching as the three flowers ran off to do their master's bidding.

Liquidator patted his companion on the back. "I must say, Reggie, you have this deal sealed!" he beamed.

Bushroot smiled and blushed at the praise. He rubbed the back of his neck with a leafy hand. "It's my plants that are really doing all the work.." he mumbled.

It was then that a shout came from behind them, causing them to turn and see what was happening. They saw a tall canine doctor rush up to them, panic stricken.

"Come on! Both of you! We need to get out of here!" the panic stricken doctor shouted.

There was very little light coming from the doctor's view, making Bushroot and Liquidator hard to make out. To the doctor their silohuettes were all that could be seen. The plants were covering the glass doors at the end of the halls and the lights up above on the ceiling.

"Hmmm….It would appear he's confused Liquidator…" commented Bushroot airily, only half facing the confused doctor. It was as he said these words that the doctor was realizing who he was talking to.

"It would seem so, Bushroot!" called out Liquidator.

The doctor stepped back. "Y-You're Liquidator and Bushroot! Y-You're behind this!" He gestured to all the plants around them. "You've summoned these evil plants on us!"

Bushroot sighed and looked hurt at the accusation. He shook his head and placed a hand to his forehead. He brushed his hand through his foliage and anthers before looking up. "I really wish people would stop calling my plants evil…. They're simply misunderstood. Just like me..." He raised one of his arms causing a thick vine to come and wrap itself around the doctor's leg. This surprised the doctor and made him trip. Before he could fall though, the vine rose, bringing him up along with it and suspending him in the air.

The doctor screamed as he was brought up into the air, kicking his free leg and arms in an attempt to escape.

"What's the matter, doctor? Has your insurance bill gone too high?" cackled Liquidator. The doctor only screamed as he saw the watery villain come closer to him.

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The boiling water in the pan was taken off the stove and poured into a mug. Another moment later a package of powdered chocolate was added into the water, then stirred quickly.

"Here you go, DW. Some nice hot chocolate for the both of us" smiled Launchpad proudly. He sat the mug down in front of Drake, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Thanks, LP" he muttered, taking the mug and taking a sip. He blanched and flinched, putting it back down. "Yech! Too hot!"

"Oh, well, uh, sorry there, DW. Hehe. That's why they call it 'hot' chocolate" chuckled Launchpad in apology. Drake gave him a half-hearted side glare, though he was clearly fighting back a smile.

"It's okay. Thanks, LP….." he repeated. "For everything" he added. He lifted the cup back up to take another careful sip.

Launchpad nodded at his thanks, knowing Drake was speaking about more than just the hot chocolate.

The quiet moment between them was broken when a loud crack of thunder peirced through the air. The lightning was so close it caused the dishes in the sink to rattle. Drake set his cup of hot chocolate down in surprise.

"Boy, what a thunder storm!" whistled the pilot.

Drake glanced out the kitchen window and noted the severe weather that was currently taking place. "The weather has been rather off season the last few days..." he observed. "Its only late April and yet its been extra hot and humid and this storm is definitely worse for storms this time of year. If it was July I would understand..."

Launchpad glanced out the window as well, just in time for the wind to howl and bring rain to hit up against the kitchen window.

Another loud clap of thunder rumbled the house. "I would turn on the TV to see if anything is happening, but I'm sort of reluctant to. I would have liked to go out on patrol, but with it storming like this, I almost don't want to" said Drake, making conversation.

"Oh, boy. You got that right, DW. I certainly wouldn't want to be out there. Is Gos?" he asked.

Drake shook his head. "No, she shouldn't be. Last I saw, her and Honker went up to her room." He paused, thinking about this and remembering the many times his daughter has sneaked out in the past. "Maybe I should go check up on them." At that, he stood up, groaning a bit from the pain in his chest.

"Just sit, I will" offered Launchpad, but Drake would have none of it.

"No, its fine, LP. I'll go…" He groaned again, stiff and sore. "I can handle going up the stairs."

Drake walked over to the stairs and started walking up then, knowing full well Launchpad was watching him worriedly like a hawk. Once he got up to Gosalyn's room, he ignored the pain in his chest and knocked on the door.

There was the distinct sound of frantic shuffling about before Gosalyn opened the door, looking slightly spooked. "Oh, hey, dad!" she greeted, her flaming red hair a little messed up. She ran a hand through in hopes to tame it a bit. "Honker and I were just watching TV."

Drake looked down at her, noting how nervous she looked."Oh, well, okay, Gos. I just wanted to make sure you were still here. I don't want you going out tonight if it keeps storming like this." To prove his point, the lights flickered as another bolt of lightning and thunder rumbled the house.

Gosalyn nodded. "No, I won't." She looked as though she was about to shut the door when Drake walked into her room. Honker was sitting on the floor, looked just as spooked as Gosalyn. This fact didn't really sink in to Drake all that much. He noted that her television was on. "You're not making Honker watch horror movies again, are you?"

"N-no!" squawked Gosalyn indignantly.

"Hey, Honk" greeted Drake, sitting down on Gosalyn's bed.

"Hello, Mr. Mallard, sir" replied Honker, pushing up his glasses. After a moment of silence in which they all were watching the TV, which had a commercial on it, Honker spoke up. "How are you feeling, sir?"Gosalyn looked over at her dad at this question, wanting to know the answer herself.

Drake looked down at his lap for a moment and then looked back up at the young ducking. "Well, Honk" he noted that Launchpad was now standing at the threshold of the room. "I'm not gonna lie to you; I've been better."

Gosalyn frowned deeply at this, her whole features showing sorrow. She walked over to her dad and gave him a hug, which he gladly accepted. He chuckled. "The pain killers I got from the doctor are helping me." When he noticed that Gosalyn was not convinced, he added, Oh, Gos, I'll be okay. Especially with you here to help me…"

Gosalyn nodded determinedly. "That's right, dad! I am here to help you!" The two of them hugged for several minutes.

It was Honker who interrupted them. "Umm…Mr. Mallard, sir. I think you had better see this…" He pointed to the TV. He had been flipping the channels until he came to the news station.

 _'The hospital near Duckburg has been taken over by vicious vines, terrorizing the entire hospital and forcing everyone to evacuate.'_ spoke the news reporter. She was underneath an umbrella, who someone else was holding off-screen, which was nearly being blown away. The storm was just as bad there as it was at the house.

All eyes turned to Drake, who was glaring at the TV. They all continued to listen _. 'Witnesses of the attack have claimed to have seen the forms of Bushroot and Liquidator, two members of the villainous group known as the Fearsome Five. No leads yet as to why they are doing this though. Convincing evidence that this is true is obvious, since it is the once known, Dr. Reginald Bushroot who has control over plants, is behind this. Liquidator has been send to be accompanying him. Again, no leads yet as to why they are doing this.'_

Drake furrowed his brow as the news continued to show scenes of the hospital being overrun by plants. "Why would they attack a hospital like that? What is their motivation!?" he muttered darkly to himself, trying to figure things out.

Launchpad stepped in further into the room. "DW, you're not thinking of-"

"Get your raincoat, LP" snapped Drake. "Because we're getting dangerous…"

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The thunderstorm was still blowing through St. Canard with full force; not showing any sign of letting up. This didn't make things any easier for Darkwing and Launchpad as they tried to make their way through the city streets. Unfortunately, due to the heavy amount of lightning, they were unable to go by air and were forced to go by the Ratcatcher.

With their helmets on, the rain was staying out of their eyes, but that was the only good thing about the situation. From head to foot, the two friends were both soaked to the bone, making them miserable and unhappy. Especially a certain caped hero.

"Ugh. Stupid lightning! If it wasn't for that we could flying in the Thunderquack and I wouldn't be out here soaking wet, probably catching my death out here!" he grumbled out over the wind.

Launchpad sulked in the sidecar at the very thought. "Oh, please don't say things like that, DW. Just thinking about it makes me anxious…"

"I'm sorry, but it's true!" Darkwing snapped back. He rammed up the gas on the Ratcatcher, making them go faster. They sped through the streets, heading for the Eastern part of town where they knew that one of the two hospitals that were in St. Canard were located.

Another bolt of lightning pierced the sky as Darkwing screeched the Ratcatcher to a halt. Launchpad blinked at their surroundings, realizing that they still weren't at the hospital. "Why did you stop, DW?" he inquired, scratching underneath his helmet.

"Look ahead of us, LP, and you'll find out" whispered Darkwing darkly. Launchpad did as he was told and lo and behold, he was able to see two shadowy figures a ways ahead of them.

"See them?" Darkwing whispered.

Launchpad squinted through the rain, trying his hardest to see. He was able to see the shadows. One of them looked very out of proportion, as though it had four arms instead two. It was then that the pilot realized that those weren't arms at all, but a part of the shadow's hat. The other shadow looked to have spikes coming out of its head. It was then that it dawned on Launchpad. The shadowy figures were Quackerjack and Megavolt.

"Oh, now I see them, DW!" cried out Launchpad.

"Shh!" shushed Darkwing urgently. "We don't want them to see us just yet."

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Quackerjack shivered as he rubbed at his arms. The rain wasn't letting down, his spirits had long gone been shattered, and Megavolt was sneezing like crazy and now unable to talk without confusing himself since his English was so bad.

"Ooooooohh! Those clowns had better hurry up in there!" he whined in a high voice. He moved back and forth on his heels and tiptoes anxiously.

"I didn'd know I had a wrench in my pocked" mumbled Megavolt, searching inside the pocket of his jumpsuit. He sneezed. "Doh…..stupid cold…"

Quackerjack glanced over at Megavolt, who was now admiring a piece of lint he had also found along with the wrench. "Oh, would you please try to stay focused, Megavolt!?"

Megavolt sneezed in reply to that. The rodent rubbed at his nose, looking up at his jester friend. "Oh, well, its hard you know…" he moaned, though sounding serious. "You try to focus on one thing for a minute and then out of nowhere I'll sneeze." He paused for a moment. "The thought I was thinking of completely gone..…" he raised his arms up at this in emphasis, only to have them flop back down dejectedly a moment later. He was staring at the ground as he said this. "Then when I try to remember what it was I was thinking of before, the process happens again and then…Oh! Hey, look a quarter!"

The elecrical villain's train of thought jumped entirely as he spotted a nickel several feet in front of him on the pavement.

Quackerjack leaned over to see his friend's find. "Hmm...Yeah, that's a nickel..."

Megavolt blinked at the nickel he was holding in his fingers. "Oh..."

Quackerjack pulled down on his jester hat a bit, frowning sadly. He then reached a hand and felt Megavolt's forehead, noting how hot it was. "I really need to get you someplace dry…" he whimpered.

"That would be nice! Throw in some light bulbs and fusion generator and I'm there!" laughed Megavolt. A bolt of lightning pierced through the sky once more. Thunder soon followed as it started to rain even harder. Megavolt snarled with a deadpan expression. "Great…."

It was then that the door to the doctor's office across the street suddenly opened, and Quackerjack gave a squeak and moved back quickly to hide in the shadows of the alley as the police man came out. A second later he took his hand and yanked Megavolt back into the shadows with him.

Quackerjack poked his head out a bit so that he could see what was going on across the street.

"Quacky…." came Megavolt's whiny voice. "I'm nod feeling all thad good. Do I eefen need to be here? Ids not like I can do anyfing…" To prove his point, he snapped his fingers and the tiniest of sparks appeared before fizzing out.

Quackerjack turned around to look at Megavolt, barely able to see him due to the low amount of light. "Yes, Megsy, you have to be here. Negaduck's orders. Plus, I'm not letting you outta my sight until you get rid of that cold!"

Megavolt blushed a bit at this and leaning against the brick wall for support.

The mad jester turned his attention back to the doctor's office. He grinned as he watched the officer leave, jogging down the street as he tried not to get too wet before getting into his car and driving off. Quackerjack waited until he was out of sight and down the road before grabbing onto Megavolt's arm and dragging him across the street. The two of them sneaked their way over, hiding along the wall beside the office's large window.

Quackerjack sneaked a peak and saw that the doctor was about to come out of the door. He readied himself, feeling inside his pocket for the cherry bombs he knew he had.

A puff of purple smoke appeared from the middle of the street, which grabbed Megavolt's attention. He quickly pulled at Quackerjack's large colorful sleeve, trying to get his attention. "Uh….Quacky…"

"Not now, Megs!" hissed the playful looked back at the smoke warily.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the-" the masked mallard stopped in his speech, the sound of someone yelping and falling to the ground being heard. Darkwing coughed a bit, groaning. His smoke was still covering him, but it was starting to clear. With audible strain, Darkwing stood back up. "I am the…." he panted. "duck who is in a lot of pain, right now…" he paused, catching his breath. He stood up then, regaining some of his balance as the pushed away the pain. "I….am Darkwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing Duck!"

The smoke finally disappeared, showing a very strained and tired looking Darkwing and a very concerned Launchpad standing behind him.

Megavolt narrowed his eyes at them. "Well, if it isn'd Dardwind Ducked" he sneered, though his speech was terrible.

Darkwing blinked at him. "I'm sorry….what?"

Megavolt growled in frustration. "Dardwind Ducked!"

"What's the matter? Forget how to talk, Sparky?" taunted Darkwing.

"Oooooohhhh…" hissed Megavolt in frustration, shaking a bit. He clenched his teeth, his eyes shut tight. "Don't call me Sparky!" he screamed in fury.

This burst of anger caught Quackerjack's attention, who quickly saw Darkwing and Launchpad. "Ooooh, have you boys come to play?" he asked innocently, standing up straight, his arms behind his back. Darkwing and Launchpad didn't reply, just readied themselves for whatever the crazed jester had planned. "No? Too bad. Because it's PLAYYYTIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!"

He pulled out a bunch of his toy teeth and threw them at Darkwing and Launchpad, who both cried out as the teeth tried to bite them. They dodged as well as they could.

Meanwhile, Quackerjack took his advantage to open the door to doctor's office, using as much stealth as he could muster. The secretary at the desk happened to glance up, seeing Quackerjack inch his way closer to the doctor, who was in front of her desk talking, and screamed.

The doctor turned around, only to be gagged. Struggling to keep hold of the man, Quackerjack reached into his pocket. "Ah, ah, now….That's not how you play the game…" he tsked.

The secretary threw a book at him. "Owie!" cried Quackerjack, who let go of the doctor and rubbed at his head. He glowered at the secretary. "Hmp! You don't play very nice, girlie!" He whipped out Mr. Teddy, an evil, muscular bear, who looked up at him as he was set down, waiting for his orders. "Make her pay, teddy. I don't care how, just make her pay!"

Immediately the teddy started after the woman, who cried out as she tried to back away, running back into the back rooms of the doctor's office, Mr. Teddy following.

Quackerjack giggled a moment as he heard her scream. He then turned his attention to the doctor, who was trying to run out the door, but was stopped by Megavolt. "And where do you think you're going, doctor?" grinned Megavolt, looking threatening. He then sneezed. He rubbed at his nose and then looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I get any on you? It's this damn cold I've got….It's really-"

"Megsy! Now is not the time for Story Time!" scolded Quackerjack.

Megavolt blinked. "Oh, right." He then looked up at the doctor again and sneered.

It was then that an arrow flew past his face, nearly hitting his large nose. He flinched back, his eyes wide as he saw what happened. All three of them looked to see where the arrow came from.

In the corner of the room, darkened by the shadows, stood a girl. "I am the shadow that haunts you at night, I am Quiverwing Quack!"

Quiverwing stood tall on the chair underneath her, ready to shoot another arrow if she needed to.

"Silly, girlie! Isn't it past your bedtime?" asked Quackerjack, glaring at her.

"Not likely" replied Quiverwing, aiming her arrow. She let it go, where it hit Quackerjack in the arm.

The jester cried out. "Hey! That's sharp!" He pat at the spot a couple times, looking at his hands. He saw a bit of red. "Hey! You made me bleed and get blood on my outfit!"

Her arrows weren't too sharp; nothing that could do serious damage, but sharp enough to cause a bit of blood. Quiverwing jumped down from her chair, and stepped forward.

Darkwing and Launchpad then burst in, pushing Megavolt aside. Megavolt stumbled out the door before looking around at his surroundings. He moaned when he saw he was out in the rain again. "Oooh, I'm outside again…" he mumbled irritably.

Quackerjack grabbed the doctor, tying his hands up.

"Help me!" choked out the rodent doctor through the material around his mouth. Darkwing growled, taking himself and ramming himself into Quackerjack and pushing the jester over in the process. However, losing his stepping, Darkwing fell and landed on top of the jester, who quickly placed his foot on Darkwing's chest and kicked him off.

"NUH UH!" shouted Quackerjack. "That position is reserved for Megsy ONLY!"

Darkwing landed with a groan, panting as his chest burned with pain. Quackerjack's comment went completely unnoticed.

"DW!" cried out Launchpad in alarm as he stepped over to the masked vigilante.

Darkwing placed his hands on either side of his head. Everything was so dizzy. The floor beneath him wouldn't stop spinning. He tried to get up but his limbs were too heavy and the pain made him want to scream in agony.

Quiverwing, seeing her dad in pain, knew she had to take over. She went for another arrow but saw that Quackerjack was now holding the doctor hostage, holding him tightly in front of him and looking over the doctor's shoulders. He took a quick note that Darkwing didn't seem himself before saying, "Not so fast, girlie! Unless you want to see this man get hurt, I suggest you let Megavolt and I go…"

Quiverwing grumbled a bit, her hand twitching to get one of her arrows, but she knew she couldn't. It wasn't smart to underestimate a threat like that. She glanced over at Darkwing and Launchpad and seeing that they couldn't do anything, she sagged her shoulders in defeat.

"Fine, Quackerjack. Have it your way…" she sighed dejectedly.

Quackerjack giggled with glee and made his way out the door. "Come on Megsy! Gotta go!" He blinked, looking around. "Megsy?"

"Up here." came the rodent's voice. Quackerjack and the doctor looked up to see Megavolt sitting on top of the light pole, content. "I was hoping if I sat here long enough, I might get hit by lightning and get some of my electricity back…" His voice sounded soft and far off.

Quackerjack rolled his eyes. "Come on, Megsy! We gotta go now!" He kicked at the light pole, making it shake a bit, and making Megavolt lose his balance. He fell to the ground, groaning, and sat up.

"Why do I see stars?" asked the weakened Megavolt. Quackerjack pulled both him and doctor away.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Back inside the doctor's office, Quiverwing ran over to see how Darkwing was doing. Darkwing whimpered a bit as he tried to get up. Launchpad was kneeling beside him, trying to help in any way possible. He gently grabbed the omega around his torso, holding him up so he could stand.

"Please, no" breathed Darkwing as Launchpad did this. Launchpad placed him back down.

"Are you going to be okay, dad?" whispered Quiverwing anxiously. She knelt next to her dad and tried to look at his face.

Darkwing sat up, panting, and looked up at his daughter. He half smiled. "Takes more than that to take me down…"

Quiverwing beamed at the response, knowing it was her dad's stubbornness that was keeping him going. Darkwing sat there for a few minutes, trying to catch himself, having been winded from being kicked by Quackerjack. "That jester really knows how to kick…" he shook his head, thinking out loud.

"When you didn't show up at the hospital, I started to worry about you, dad!" informed Quiverwing, helping Darkwing to stand.

Darkwing looked at her, nearly falling, but Launchpad was behind him to catch him. "You mean you let Bushroot and Liquidator get away on behalf of me!?" he demanded, sounding affronted at the thought that she would let criminals get away so easily.

Quiverwing blinked at him before shaking her head. "No, dad! When I got there, Bushroot and Liquidator were already gone! They fled the scene before I even got there!" she defended herself. She then looked indignant. "'Sides, you know I would never let those guys get away THAT easily!"

Darkwing nodded, still leaning against Launchpad for support. He placed a hand on Quiverwing's head, smiling fondly at her. "Come on. Let's go home" he whispered to them both. The three of them slowly left the doctor's office and back out into the pouring rain.

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The old factory looked as though it was about to collapse at any moment. It was a ways away from St. Canard, but if you looked hard enough, you could still seen the Audubon Bridge.

It was incredibly dark inside the room, nothing inside of it but a desk and a red office chair. The chair was currently facing the wall. The room was made entirely of cold concrete, minus a bared window. This was the room where the factory had once had their machinery parts kept. But since it had been abandoned years ago, it was no longer needed. A perfect hideout.

The door to the room opened lighting up the room in the process. No one appeared to be at the door, until vines started to creep their way inside by clinging to the floor and ceiling. Another moment later and in came a great heap of vines, which carried in them the doctor that had been taken from the hospital. A separate vine altogether was covering his mouth tightly, wrapped around his head once, so that he couldn't cry out for help.

Liquidator and Bushroot came inside afterwards, beaming with self pride at what they had accomplished. They walked into the middle of the room, where they waited.

"I am amazed. You actually went through with your orders and did what you were told. This is a first…" spoke a deep angry voice. "You brought a doctor?"

Bushroot nodded, shaking a bit. "Y-Yes, boss, we did exactly as you told us. We didn't even have any problems with Darkwing."

The red chair swerved around and the two of them were able to see Negaduck sitting in it, slouching ever so. There were dark circles under his eyes, sweat around his temples, and his feathers seemed ruffled and out of place. He still work his red turtle neck and yellow jacket, his red fedora hat in its usual place. He glared out in front of him.

"Really? Now there is a surprise. He didn't come to ruin things?" he asked. He looked towards the barred window, noting the horrible weather outside. "Is our blundering fool afraid of a little thunder storm or is it something else?"

"Have you got questions? Is something puzzling you? The Fearsome Four will help you figure it out!" announced Liquidator. Negaduck looked over at him at this, not saying anything. He then turned his attention to the doctor who was tied up in the vines.

"So. You are the lucky doctor who has been chosen….TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!" screamed Negaduck furiously.

Bushroot and Liquidator shrunk back while the doctor could only wince since the vines kept him from moving. Negaduck stood with a bit of strain, looking dead tired. But his temper didn't falter, even in his obviously weakened state. He began circling the doctor, looking up at him as he stepped over the vines that held his prisoner.

The doctor whimpered as he saw Negaduck's deadly glare look him in the eye. "So, doctor, what is your name?"

The doctor moved his head about, trying to get the vine to move away from his mouth. With a quick wave from Bushroot the vine moved away. The doctor blinked, yet answered the question. "Kerch" he gasped.

Negaduck nodded. "Now, can you tell me what is wrong?"

Kerch moved a bit, re-positioning himself in the vines. "Well, first I have to know what's wrong, s-sir…"

Negaduck, still circling, nodded his head again. "Of course, of course" he said casually. He thought a moment, putting together the right words. "Well, my chest feels as though a bullet has been shot through it, then burned with gasoline. My head pounds like mother f-" he restrained his speech, looking up at the doctor. "You understand what I mean. " He then looked away. "I feel like shit, I am dizzy, and tired beyond reason." Kerch nodded, taking it all in. "I see. Well, is there any sign of injury in the spot where your chest that hurts?"

"Of course not, you imbecile! Don't you think I would have thought of that and checked!?" snapped Negaduck.

Kerch flinched and nodded. "I didn't mean to offend you, sir. Just asking. It could be something under the skin. Like some sort of tumor or cancer-"

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute…" he stopped his pacing and looked up at the doctor. His eyes were gleaming with anger, hate, and uncertainty. "Did you just say cancer!?"

Kerch didn't reply, flabbergasted and not handling the pressure of being near Negaduck.

"I SAID, DID YOU JUST SAY CANCER!?"Bushroot squeaked from where he stood next to Liquidator, but Negaduck hardly registered it.

Kerch winced, panting slightly at the tight vines around him. "I-It is a possibility, sir…"

Negaduck went silent at this. He began pacing again. He was muttering something that none of them could decipher. He then abruptly stopped, looking back up at Kerch. "How can you tell for certain!?"

"I would have to do some tests and such to find out. You would have to come to the hospital so that I may run some tests and scans. Possibly even run an MRI scan…."

Negaduck considered this for several long, tense minutes. "Alright. However, if you haven't already noticed, I'm not exactly the city's favorite person. I'm Negaduck. If I do go to have these tests run on me, it will have to be private."

"That can be done, sir!" Kerch informed him.

"Good. No one but you will know that I was ever there, got it!?" demanded Negaduck. He glanced over at Bushroot, who flinched and raised his arms, understanding what he was being told to do without words. The vines that were holding Kerch slowly moved down to the ground until Kerch's feet were on the ground. They then let him go, slithering back out the door and leaving to go back outside. "Now, there will be another doctor here. In case you become unsatisfactory, I have found myself a back-up." he leaned up close to Kerch, who was a whole head taller than him. "And do pray you don't become unsatisfactory, or you will meet my chainsaw. GOT IT!?" he screamed at the end.

Kerch backed away, understanding perfectly. Liquidator then sloshed his way right up behind Kerch, who jumped and turned around.

Liquidator glared at him, his arms crossed. "Thinking about walking out? Thinking about running away? That's not an option at this time of day!" he announced. Kerch sighed in defeat, knowing he wasn't going to be able to get out of this mess.

Negaduck headed for the door, half panting in pain. He turned around, addressing Bushroot and Liquidator. "Don't let him escape or it'll be your heads!" He then went out the door, slamming it.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Inside the apartment building, which was completely vacated, the tension held strong in the air. The building was older than the rest of the buildings around it, having seen more years than most buildings in St. Canard. In one of the apartments in the upper floors of the building, was a large suite, which looked nothing like the rest. It was furnished and more livable.

Inside this room was a couch, a kitchen on the left side; which had a counter top, two windows, and a bedroom on the right side. The door to the room was open and inside a bed= could be seen. On the bed, which was right in front of the door, slept Megavolt. He snored softly, his right arm underneath his head, as though it were a pillow. His goggles, plug hat, and battery were gone, but he was still wearing everything else.

Outside the room, tied tightly to a chair, sat the doctor who had been kidnapped from his own office.

Quackerjack was sitting on a rocking horse, playing with one of his many toys, rocking back and forth and humming tunelessly.

The doctor was eyeing the jester, terrified of him. He had heard some of the things the crazy villain has done via the news. And now he was one of his many victims and he had no idea why.

Quackerjack and Megavolt had not explained anything about why they had taken him.

"W-What are you going to do to me?" asked the doctor after a while.

Quackerjack looked up from his toy, still playing with it, and regarded his question carefully. "Don't know. What do you want us to do with you? I think that's the real question." The doctor blinked at him, not understanding his logic. "Now, quiiieeeetttt!" the jester shushed him, a finger up against his beak. "Megavolt is trying to sleep!" They both looked over towards the bedroom. "And he has a nasty temper when he wakes up. He burnt my hat the other day, you know!"

Quackerjack fiddled with the ends of his hat for a moment before turning back to his toy. This went on for about another hour, before finally the door to the apartment door slammed open, making Quackerjack cry out, jump off his rocking horse, and hide behind it.

Quackerjack and the doctor looked over to see that it was Negaduck at the door, seething with anger. "Have you knobs managed to capture the doctor like I asked you to!?" he barked out, his voice low with pain and anger.

Quackerjack reemerged from his hiding spot behind the rocking horse and nodded, the bells at the end of his hat jingling. "Y-yes, Negs, we did. Just as you asked. We waited in the pouring rain too." he squeaked.

Negaduck seemed to ignore the last bit about the rain, slamming the door shut and walking up to the chair that the doctor was tied to. "So…..you're the lucky doctor. What's your name?" he demanded hastily. He began circling him, just as he had with Kerch.

The doctor trembled in his seat, flinching, his white coat covered with sweat from his nerves and panic. "Rufener."

"Rufener, eh?" repeated Negaduck, giving the name a moment's thought. "Well, Rufener, I have the pleasure of informing you that you will be one of two doctors who will be helping me out. The other doctor's name is Kerch, who, unfortunately cannot join us here tonight. He is being kept elsewhere. I do not like keeping my prisoners together. That is how plans are formed. Understand?"

Rufener nodded, understanding immediately. "What can I help you with?" he willed himself to ask bravely.

Negaduck nodded, looking like a nasty business man thanks to his yellow jacket. His fedora hat darkened his face, making it all the more frightening to Rufener. "I have been experiencing some severe pains in my chest, I have been feeling like shit, and I wanna know WHY THE HELL THAT IS!"

Quackerjack, who had been standing next to his rocking horse watching, cleared his throat, which made Negaduck glare at him. Quackerjack raised a tentative hand, looking like a small frightened child. "Umm….Megavolt is trying to sleep in the other room…" he pointed briskly towards the bedroom.

Negaduck sneered at him, biting back a growl. "I don't give a damn!" he screamed. Quackerjack jumped at this, running off into the bedroom.

Negaduck shook his head in annoyance before turning his attention back to Rufener. "I apologize for my cohort's idiocy. Now, as I was saying, I have been having severe pains in my chest and I want to end….NOW!"

Rufener saw immediately what he was being asked. He thought hard to try to think of what could be causing this. His mind was too muddled about his current predicament to think straight. "Well…" he muttered, beginning. "I'm assuming the pain is not coming from some type of bruise or abrasion of any type. Nothing noticeable on the chest, otherwise you would be able to judge a little more on what's wrong."

Negaduck raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm…so far, you're doing better than the other doctor…"

Rufener looked up at this. He was in his mid forties, a rat with black hair, and had blue eyes. Though at the moment they were filled with uncertainty and fear. He gulped. "Well, I'm assuming that much. Now, the problem is obviously inside you. Perhaps an infections of sorts, or maybe a turmor or-

"Cancer" spat Negaduck with disgust. He looked away. "The other doctor had suggested that too…. Dammit…" he cursed. "Alright, listen. You and that other doctor are going to come up with a way to help me. If you don't, it's your lives."

Rufener moved a bit behind the ropes that bound him. "You know, a colleague of mine might be better suited for this task, Dr. Court-"

But Negaduck would have none of it. "Shut up. I chose you two. Now, let's get to work, shall we?" he sneered. He grabbed at the back of the chair, wincing in the pain it caused him to do so, and dragged Rufener out of the room, where he slammed the door after him.

Quackerjack poked his head out of the bedroom door at the sound of the slamming door. He looked about, still expecting Negaduck to be there. Once he knew he and Rufener were gone, he grinned. "I think their gone, Don" spoke a high pitched voice. The jester brought out Mr. Banana Brain, looking at him and nodding.

"I think you're right" he nodded in agreement. He turned back to the bedroom, smiling at Megavolt, still asleep on the bed. He walked in, closing the door behind him and said quietly in a sing song voice, "It's Playyyytiiiime…." His eyes never leaving Megavolt.

He walked up to the bed, slowly sliding himself onto it, laying down beside his best friend. He took a feathered hand and tickled the rodent around his nose, playing with his whiskers. A minute later, Megavolt sneezed, making Quackerjack chuckle. The sneeze made him groan and turn over. Quackerjack moved up so Megavolt could move. He was now laying on his back, stretching and trying to wake up. Quackerjack just sat there, watching him.

"You awake, silly?" he asked.

Megavolt groaned. "I wish I wasn't…"

This made Quackerjack pull down on his hat in dismay. "Why not?"

"I'm tired…."

"Hmmm…..You can go back to sleep if you want…I'll…." he gulped. "I'll find something to do…." He glanced about the room, looking scared.

Megavolt couldn't help but smile, still lying on his back. "No, cause then you'll get bored…"

"I know…" whimpered Quackerjack, slumping a bit. "And then I'll go insane…"

"You ARE insane…" Megavolt pointed out.

"Then…..maybe that means I'd end up going….sane…"

The two of them thought about that for a moment as Quackerjack rubbed at Megavolt's chest. "A sane Quackerjack? Now, that's a scary thought…" whispered Megavolt.

"Mmm hmmm…" agreed Quackerjack, nodding, the bells on his hat jingling. The two of them sat there on the bed for a while, simply enjoying each other's company.

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End file.
